Etna starts off 2011 by putting on a show

I am a little late to the party, but all the waiting for the past year (and more) for new activity at Mt. Etna in Italy have paid off. The volcano has now entered a new eruptive period, the first since 2008-09, with some specatular fire fountains and lava flows from the eastern flank of the Southeast Crater (see below). The new eruption started Tuesday night with a slight increase in seismicity before the new lava erupted from a vent in the Southeast Crater. The eruption started as active lava fountaining that filled the crater pit and eventually, around 9 PM local time, the pit overflowed and produced the stunning lava flows that Dr. Boris Behncke (amongst others) have captured (see below). Much of the activity has slowed as Thursday broke on Sicily, allowing the airport at Catania to reopen after closing briefly during the start of the eruption.