Dazzling moment Mount Etna erupts and shoots jets of lava and volcanic ash into the air

Dazzling moment Mount Etna erupts and shoots jets of lava and volcanic ash into the air, lighting up the night sky

The 700,000-year-old volcano erupted at 3am local time following increase in seismic activity in last week
Stunning images captured molten lava trickling down the side of Sicilian volcano located in the city of Catania
Each year, Mount Etna produces enough lava to fill a 108-story skyscraper and is the tallest volcano in Europe

By Connor Boyd For Mailonline

Published: 16:15 BST, 31 May 2019 | Updated: 17:25 BST, 31 May 2019

Mount Etna has erupted launching plumes of volcanic ash and lava into the air and lighting up the night sky.

The Sicilian volcano began erupting at 3am local time following an increase in seismic activity over the last week.

Incredible images captured the moment molten lava trickled down the side of Europe’s most active volcano, which is 700,000-years-old and 24 miles wide.

Europe’s most active volcano Mount Etna erupted last night, shooting lava and ash into the air and lighting up the night sky

Incredible images captured the moment molten lava trickled down a crater on the side of Europe’s most active volcano

A huge column of smoke could also be seen over the Italian volcano, which is located in the city of Catania, between both Messina and Catania

A huge column of gas could also be seen over the Italian volcano, which is located in the city of Catania, between both Messina and Catania. The eruption did not affect nearby Catania airport and flights continued as normal.

Each year, it produces enough lava to fill a 108-story skyscraper, spewing tonnes of molten rock across the island of Sicily.

Boris Behncke, from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, posted a series of stunning photos of lava taken from nearby towns.

Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe at two-and-a-half times the next largest, Mount Vesuvius.

Each year, it produces enough lava to fill a 108-story skyscrapers, spewing tonnes of molten rock across the island of Sicily

At 3,330 metres (10,926 feet), Mount Etna is the highest volcano in Europe and is at two-and-a-half times the next largest, Mount Vesuvius

What is Mount Etna, how tall is it and how old is it?

Etna, at 3,330 metres (10,926 feet), is the highest volcano in mainland Europe.

The volcano is one of the most active in the world and the most active in Europe.

The 700,000-year-old volcano is a huge 24 miles wide and is virtually active constantly.

It produces around 7 million tonnes of CO2, water and sulphur dioxide every year.

In 2011, it spewed nearly 70 million tonnes of lava.

The last time Etna posed a serious threat to villages on its slopes was in 1992, when lava streams headed towards Zafferana, a town of 7,000 people.

In a spectacular operation, Italian and US soldiers used controlled explosions to divert the flow.

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