Etna, Italy, 21 July 2001 - Lava crawls towards Etna village Nicolosi, Sicily - Thick rivers of lava crawled down the sides of Mount Etna towards a village as Europe's most active volcano rumbled for a third straight day. Five fissures have now opened up in the mountain on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and flowing lava has reached to within 5 km of Nicolosi. The lava has moved more than 1 km in the past three days but on Saturday had slowed to about five metres an hour from more than twenty on Thursday and Friday.

Living in shadow of a volcano, July 25, 2001 - Lava exploding from Mount Etna is providing a spectacular sight for residents of nearby towns every night. The volcano on the Italian island of Sicily has been increasingly active during the past week, spewing lava, ash and rock from several fissures. Rivers of lava have flowed down Mount Etna, threatening nearby villages despite thousands of tons of water being dropped by air to try to cool the advancing lava. The eruption has caused $3.1 million in damage, including losses in tourism and agriculture, the local government said.

Mount Etna, towering above Catania, Sicily's second largest city, has one of the world's longest documented records of historical volcanism. Historical lava flows cover much of the surface of this massive basaltic stratovolcano, Italy's highest and most voluminous volcano. The Mongibello stratovolcano, truncated by several small calderas, was constructed during the late Pleistocene and Holocene over an older shield volcano. The most prominent morphological feature of Etna is the Valle del Bove, a 5 x 10 km horseshoe-shaped caldera open to the east.

Two styles of eruptive activity typically occur at Etna. Persistent explosive eruptions, sometimes with minor lava emissions, take place from one or more of the three prominent summit craters, the Central Crater, NE Crater, and SE Crater (the latter formed in 1978). Flank vents, typically with higher effusion rates, produce eruptions from fissures that open progressively downward from near the summit (usually accompanied by strombolian eruptions at the upper end). Cinder cones are commonly constructed over the vents of lower flank lava flows. Lava flows extend to the foot of the volcano on all sides and have reached the sea over a broad area on the SE flank.