Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999

The pictures on this page link to larger photos (usually 20 to 70 K). All times are local and approximate (+/- 30 mins). In order to give an idea of the perspective, focal lengths of the camera lenses are given (e.g. f=28mm: wide angle lens).

Marco Fulle, Roberto Carniel and Jürg Alean visited Etna, at various times, during the phase of extremely strong activity. We are proud to present here some of the unique and spectacular photos captured by Marco during many days of patient, and sometimes dangerous, work on Mt. Etna.

Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
23 Oct 1999 11h local. f=300mm from Monte Vetore. Paroxysm 5. Fire fountains 100 m high spill from the W BN fissure. Some phases of the paroxysm eject dense ash clouds.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
23 Oct 1999 11h local. f=300mm from Monte Vetore. Paroxysm 5. All the slopes of the Central Crater are covered by haze coming from the impact of hundreds of meter sized bombs.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
25 Oct 1999 11h local. f=135mm from Piano del Lago. Paroxysm 6. Lava fountains 50 m high rise on the BN SW vent. Torre del Filosofo in the right foreground and SITAS jeep in the central one.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
25 Oct 1999 13h local. f=50mm from W rim of Cratere Ellittico Paroxysm 6. Franco Emmi (right) observes the active aa-lava flow which has reached the jeep road on the W rim of Cratere Ellittico.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
25 Oct 1999 13h local. f=135mm from W rim of Cratere Ellittico Paroxysm 6. Due to the pressure of the lava inside BN, its W rim collapses into landslides of hot old lava.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
25 Oct 1999 13h local. f=135mm from W rim of Cratere Ellittico Paroxysm 6. The landslide is heated so much by the fresh lava entering into the BN W rim cracks that it becomes a small pyroclastic flow.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
25 Oct 1999 13h local. f=135mm from W rim of Cratere Ellittico Paroxysm 6. Landslides from the W rim continue for hours. In the right background, lava fountains 50 m high rising from the BN NW vent.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
25 Oct 1999 14h local. f=135mm from W rim of Cratere Ellittico Paroxysm 6. Magma bubble 100 m wide bursts in the BN SW vent. In the foreground, Roby is using the last battery power of his videocam.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
25 Oct 1999 15h local. f=300mm from W rim of Cratere Ellittico Paroxysm 6. Lava fountains 50 m high rise above the BN SW vent.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
25 Oct 1999 16h local. f=135mm from W rim of Cratere Ellittico Paroxysm 6. The lava in the BN NW vent continues to push out the W BN rim after having it lifted by 20 m.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
25 Oct 1999 16h local. f=300mm from W rim of Cratere Ellittico Paroxysm 6. Lava fountains 30 m high rise above the BN NW vent. In the left foreground, the 20 m uplifted and rotated old W rim of BN.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
26 Oct 1999 10h local. f=28mm from Piano Provenzana. BN ejects a smoke ring about 200 m wide. Autumn is coming on Etna.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
26 Oct 1999 20h local. f=50mm from W rim of Cratere Ellittico Strombolian eruptions from the BN NW and SW vents. Below the NW vent, a new vent ejects a slow lava flow. Its front is visible on the left.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
26 Oct 1999 20h local. f=50mm from W rim of Cratere Ellittico Strombolian jets 300 m high from the BN NW and SW vents. The bomb furthest on the left breaks into two pieces during its fall. Perseus and Andromeda in the sky.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
27 Oct 1999 11h local. f=135mm from Monte Intraleo Paroxysm 7. The lava flow on the left crosses the Cratere Ellittico rim and releases avalanches of blocks rolling down the W Etna flank.
Extremely strong activity 23.-27.10.1999
27 Oct 1999 11h local. f=135mm from Monte Intraleo Paroxysm 7. Lava fountains 100 m high in the BN NW vent eject two lava flows, the sothernmost one on the right, the main one on the left.