Mount Etna summit evolution reconstructed over 160 years

Researchers from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and the University of Milano-Bicocca have reconstructed 160 years of morphological changes at the summit of Mount Etna. Using a photogrammetric “time machine,” the study integrated 14 diverse datasets, ranging from 1865 military topographic maps to modern satellite imagery and high-resolution drone surveys.

The research documents the volcano's transition from a single large Central Crater in the mid-19th century to its current configuration of four active summit craters: Voragine, Bocca Nuova, the North-East Crater, and the South-East Crater. The study highlights distinct dynamics for each structure, including the constructive growth of the Voragine, the filling and subsidence cycles of Bocca Nuova and the North-East Crater, and the eastward expansion of the South-East Crater.

Lead author Cristina Proietti noted that the methodology involved bringing data produced across nearly 160 years into a single reference system, allowing for a quantitative observation of how the summit has evolved through alternating constructive and destructive geological phases.