Etna: an active volcano in Italy could collapse at any time in the sea, causing tsunamis

Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in Europe, located on the Sicilian coast, slowly erupts in the Mediterranean Sea. It will eventually slip into the water and, if so, the mountain will likely send a powerful tsunami across the Mediterranean.

There is no obvious indication that the mountain will collapse anytime soon, notes a report from LiveScience, but it is nevertheless a possibility. A new study revealed that the south-east flank of the volcano moves above the ground as well as underwater. This means that the risk of "catastrophic collapse" is much higher than expected, according to the researchers.

"We need to better understand how this transition works and the types of triggers needed to break it down," said Morelia Urlaub, co-author of the study, researcher in marine geodynamics at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Ocean Research Center in Kiel, in Germany. report.

Etna is one of the most worried volcanoes in Europe. It has been active for at least 6000 years BC, displays historical archives. Since September 2013, Etna has had an eruptive cycle, explains the global volcanism program of the Smithsonian Institution, which should therefore experience a strong explosion at any time.

Using satellite and GPS data, the researchers found that the southeast side of Etna – the one facing the sea – is slowly moving towards water since at least 30 years. Earlier this year, researchers at the Open University in the UK discovered how the slope had moved by 14 mm, averaging one year between 2001 and 2012.

Scientists, however, are at a standstill in the debate, according to Urlaub, on whether this slow slide over the last three decades is the result of the accumulation of magma under the volcano and at the same time. 39, interior of it or gravity. Mount Etna constantly spits magma and rock on its sides, she explained, gravity pulling all this new material down.

"It's common with these big volcanoes," Urlaub said. "They spread to the base."

Mount Etna is unique in that it has "feet in the water," Urlaub said. Its slope continues well below the coast and in the Mediterranean. Until this study, there was no explanation as to how the flank was moving under the sea.

The researchers discovered that last May, during a period of eight days, a flaw appeared on Etna's underwater flank and moved about 4 cm. The researchers explained that its cause was not due to an earthquake, but rather in the form of a slow and gradual slip without fault breakage or seismic waves.

"There is a danger," Urlaub said. "We just have to keep an eye on Etna's flank and his movement."

The study was published for the first time in the journal Science Advances.