The lava flows below South East Cone: 4-9 April 1999, VideosThe pictures on this page link to MPEG videos (with sizes between 350 KB and 1.7 MB). Except where indicated, the videos are without
audio, in order to reduce the filesize. | ||||
 During the days of our visit, the effusive activity expressed itself through ephemeral vents, changing their position and behaviour every time. In this video you can see one of these vents, and an overview on the lava channel generated by it. 800 KB |  From the base of the flow, over the vent, one can see an overview of the whole channel, and observe the formation of beautiful small lava crests, which duration is often very short (note how they are dragged away by the flow). 1.4 MB |  One could spend hours observing the flow coming out from the ephemeral vent, but the heat has already reached the inside of the boots, atacking the feet. Maybe it's time to move! With audio, in one of the rare moments of silence of Marco :-). 700 KB |  Often the lava channels collapse on their side, and the lava creates a new lateral front that sometimes substitutes the original one. Here we see such a side front proceeding down a slope. 550 KB |  MSometimes the flow front is formed by huge blocks, that after falling show again to the observer their most incandescent side... and increase his temperature! 800 KB |
 In front of the front :-) in these cases the temperature gradient is really noteworthy. For this reason, when shooting the flow, there's nothing nicer than the natural shelter offered by some rock... already cool :-). 1.7 MB |  The same "trick" may be used efficiently to shoot at a very short distance a lava flow. As a side effect, having a fixed reference in the foreground gives a good idea of the speed of the filmed flow. 480 KB |  While moving on the lava (even aa!) one has to be careful. Here the cameraman :-) sees a wonderful bubble on the lava surface, runs to film it, but all he manages to shoot is his own fall... and the consequences (aka "stigmate" :-). 670 KB |  In this video we see an overview of an ephemeral flow that, due to increased flow rate, flows out from both channel sides. This outflow provides us with the most fascinating shows. 1 MB |  Getting near the new front, we observe phenomena due to the steepness of the slope, like the detachment of a "drop" of lava that falls and cools down. 600 KB |
 Sometimes the show offered by a simple "detail" of the lava flow coming down from the side of the channel is worth a rallenty shot. In this case the speed of the movie is half the original one. 980 KB |  INTERMISSION. Here we went down to Paterṇ, desperately looking for the "famous" mud volcanoes. But the cameo of this video is given by Marco and Alessandro on the soundtrack. 770 KB |  After the break, let's return uphill. Here we can see the exit of a lava tube that formed really in front of us. And if you still don't believe what I told you about the temperature, hear Boris' own voice comment. 350 KB |  If we zoom in towards the exit vent of the tube (for the short time allowed by the heat) we manage to see little wonderful lava stalactites on the roof of the tube. 400 KB |  Not all the lava flows are lonely! Here we see a couple of pahoehoe flows generated by the same ephemeral source. The overview shows the "waves" of lava going down towards the Valle del Bove. Other flows and Catania lights in the background. 840 KB |
 One of the two flows is a real "crust factory" (definition © Marco :-). These form on the vent roof, then detach and are dragged away by the flow. Final overview. 1.4 MB |  On April 9 Etna greets us not only with the majestic hornitos covered in snow, wonderfully depicted by Marco photos, but also with wonderful lava flows. Here we see, on a snowy background, a lava channel. Please note the ropes formation. 430 KB |  The same channel filmed from a very short distance. The projection of the shadow of the small lava crests adds further fascination to the already noteworthy beauty of the lava rapidly flowing out. 520 KB |  Filmed from the side, the channel furnishes additional attractives. In this movie, we see a lava "blob" coming out of the vent. At the end, please also note the wonderful textures of the external side of the channel. 1.1 MB |  Only a little distance downhill the increased steepness forces the lava flow to proceed much faster. Even big blocks, already cooled down, are dragged off the side of the channel and transported down by the majestic flow. 1.2 MB |
| Video: R. Carniel | ||||