The remains of a hotel engulfed by a lava flow
Etna’s summit
Tracking along a lava cone
Today was spent in the company of resident Etna expert Dr Boris Behncke scaling the northeast flank of Etna and taking in a range of sites of interest including lava flows, craters and recent ash deposits. Boris brings a great enthusiasm and knowledge to telling the story of Mount Etna and we’re very lucky to have him educate and enthuse us!
The river in flow
The staff branched off today, I (Rob Strick) was part of the team that included James Cole and Ray Ward. Our mission, check that the river was flowing and suitable for our subsequent visit in the coming days and also to review possible sites for the upcoming inclusion of archaeology elements to the field trip.
We set off in our hire car, with the aid of the GPS on my phone, to try find the Fiumefreddo, our river. After some disagreements with the GPS’ choice of roads, leading us down a dubious track. We found the river in full flow. This was important to check as rivers in dryer regions are often ephemeral (don’t always flow/have seasonal flow).
Once the river was confirmed to be flowing and suitable for fieldwork, it was time to check out the potential archaeology site. After numerous wrong turns and lunch we found the site and were able to assess its potential, as well as take in some great views.
All here and accounted for and ready and raring to go! Sicily here we come.
The image below is of Catania made from Google Earth, incorporating the 3D buildings features and tilt angle viewer.
Image courtesy of Google Earth.
Click for larger image!
Etna Update 27th March:
During the night, the lava effusion and persistent mild explosive activity from the New SE crater ceased, after being nearly continuously active for over two months.
If this is a true end or only a short pause to the latest eruptive phase remains to be seen…
We’ve just had the last meeting before the trip and I hope everyone is suitably excited for the trip! As you can see from the photo below, “Mumma Etna” is also still showing some excitement, so lets hope she puts on a show (well hopefully not too much ash, we need to get out there first). By now I hope you’ve made all your last minute checks, get your washing done, make sure you have all your toiletries etc. etc.! Also, another reminder that the clocks turn back Sunday morning so I would advise setting your alarm well in advance just in case. The weather is changeable this time of year in Sicily but it’s certainly better than here, so bring your sunscreen!
Etna Action on the 26th of March and the weather in Catania for next week
The clouds opened just long enough for Boris to capture Etna’s ongoing Strombolian activity at dawn, 25 March 2014.
Photo credit Boris Behncke
This will be the one stop place to hear all the news from University of Brighton’s geography field trip to Sicily and the slopes of Mount Etna! I’m sure everyone is looking forward to going Sicily (those lucky enough to … Continue reading