Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and eruptions are events that attract a lot of attention, both from volcanology enthusiasts and from tourists curious to witness such a spectacular phenomenon.
In 2025 and exactly on February 8th, Etna gives life to a new activity of the Subterminal Eruption type.
On February 8th, 2025, a predominantly effusive subterminal eruption begins on Etna, but also affected by Strombolian activity localized in the southeast crater with some lava overflow.
The lava flow fed by vents located at an altitude of 3050 m above sea level, spread in a south-westerly direction covering mainly desert areas and marginally a small forest between 1900 and 1800 m above sea level. As always happens in episodes of this kind, the eruptive event did not threaten anthropized areas, but it did interrupt a short stretch of the "Altomontana track" inside the Etna Park at an altitude of 1800 meters. The flow, crossing densely snow-covered areas, produced frequent explosions due to the lava-snow interaction. In the meantime, the eruption represented an extraordinary tourist attraction, attracting thousands of people to the advancing lava fronts.
Summing up, in the period from February 7th to March 2nd, the day the eruption ended, the amplitude of the volcanic tremor showed fluctuations, with a trend of progressive increase and decrease, especially in the last few days. On the morning of February 7th, some small Strombolian explosions affected the South-East Crater, followed by the opening of a fissure on the south-western flank of the same, thus giving rise to the beginning of the eruption.
The eruption was characterized by both effusive and explosive activity, with the launching of ash and lapilli. As often happens in these cases, the eruption lasted a few weeks, altering the surrounding landscape and creating breathtaking scenery, but also bringing safety risks, especially in the areas closest to the craters and the lava front. The advice that remains is always to get closer for a safe observation of the eruptive phenomena accompanied by alpine and/or volcanological guides.
Terminology
Lava flows: Which flow along the sides of the volcano, creating authentic rivers of lava that flow towards the valley.
Strombolian explosions: from small to moderate explosions that launch volcanic material, which falls mainly in the area of the emission crater.
Etna eruption photos 2025
Etna eruption video 2025
Insights
INGV La pericolosità delle colate laviche dell’Etna durante l’eruzione di febbraio 2025
