ABSTRACT
In the last decades Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy) has partially modified its activity from effusive to eruptive. More precisely, since 1971 significant eruptive activity has been observed. This was due to the development of new craters. The erupted volcanic material is characterized by pyroclastic elements of different sizes, water vapor and carbon and/or sulfur dioxide. The pyroclastic material of Mt. Etna is characterised by: blocks (>64 mm), lapillus (2–64 mm), coarse ash (62 micron – 2 mm), fine ash (<62 micron). From the eruption of 1991–1993 to that of 2001 more than 150 paroxysmal activities occurred, involving above all the great Southeast crater (Figure 1). New important activities occurred from January 2011 to the end of 2013. The paroxysmal activities from 2011 to 2013 were due to a new crater in the Southeast area. In the 2014 about 30 events of moderate intensity occurred. Overall, an exponential increasing of the paroxysmal activity has been observed in the XXI century. Large amounts of ash have repeatedly covered the city of Catania (Figure 2). This has caused problems on the road and air traffic, problems on the agricultural sector and human health damage. As regards the human health damage, a great attention should be devoted to cancer, due to the significant toxicity of this material.
