Watch: Etna releases giant smoke rings — 'extraordinary' phenomenon

Mount Etna is one of the few volcanoes in the world that produces smoke rings. Photo: Giuseppe Di Stefano/AP Volcanic vortex rings are formed when gases rise from the depths of the earth and go inside the crater of a volcano. Photo: Giuseppe Di Stefano/AP

Since then, the volcano has produced hundreds, perhaps thousands, of spectacular rings, added Mr Behnke, who can see the volcano from his home in Tremestieri Etneo, near Catania.

Locals have nicknamed the volcano the Lady of the Rings because of the circles of steam it emits.

“I thought I was hallucinating. I have never seen anything so spectacular and beautiful,” said Angela Intruglio from Mascali, a town at the foot of Etna that had to be rebuilt after it was completely destroyed during an eruption in 1928.

Experts say the unusual rings are harmless and are not necessarily a prelude to an imminent eruption.

«It's just a circular-shaped open channel through which gas is released in a pulsating manner.» — said Mr. Behnke. “This is really something extraordinary and completely harmless.”

The previous time this happened on Etna was in December last year, said Giuseppe Barbagallo, a guide from the group of alpine guides of South Etna. Other major ring ejections occurred in 2000 and 2023.

A volcanologist says Mount Etna has emitted hundreds, perhaps thousands, of spectacular rings since Tuesday. Photo: Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images Locals describe the near-perfect circles of smoke as “breathtaking and beautiful”; Photo: Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images

At 11,000 feet, Mount Etna is the tallest volcano in Europe. According to Mr. Behnke's institute, eruptions have been going on for half a million years, but the volcano has only acquired its characteristic conical shape in the last 100,000 years.

Magma rises to Etna through a central open channel, which constantly releases gas, which means that there is almost always smoke coming from its summit.

The last major eruption occurred in May 2023, forcing airport authorities to halt all flights at nearby Catania airport, a popular tourist destination. .

At that time, a lava eruption from its southeastern crater caused a cloud of black volcanic ash to fall on the city, causing disruption not only to air traffic, but also to vehicles on the ground.

The same thing happened, because of the eruptions of 2001 and the following two years, when a layer of lapilli and ash formed on the streets and highways, threatening the movement of cars. The same thing happened when they fell on the airport runway.

The institute also said that fine volcanic dust can irritate people's eyes, skin and throats, and crops can cause irreversible damage due to the ash and wind-borne lapilli in the event of eruptions.

Many major eruptions have occurred over the past 100 years. In 1971, several villages were threatened by lava flows that destroyed some orchards and vineyards. Over the next decade, the volcano's activity was almost continuous. In 1983, authorities detonated dynamite in an attempt to divert lava flows after a four-month eruption.