Etna summit trekking

Etna summit trekking - some volcano facts at first

Enjoy an unforgettable excursion with a professional guide and culminate to the summit of Etna volcano!
 

Getting ready to hike on active volcanoes!

Would you dare to look inside the crater of an active volcano? Thousands do it every year, the attraction to the volcanoes is evident. The thrill of danger, the landscapes and the view outside the daily standards and the feeling of approaching the most powerful forces of the Earth.

Know that there are over 1,500 active volcanoes around the world! Thinking of the incredible power of an eruption, these majestic and dangerous fiery mountains can be quite scary. The volcanologists study them, others, almost unconsciously, live there exploiting the fertility of the ground, others, the most passionate, go hunting for eruptions. The most active "volcanic tourists" are often interested in learning, and also a bit of adrenaline.

Let's get to know volcanoes a little better and find out where you can try these incredible natural forces.

Volcanoes, what are they?

The volcanoes all look more or less similar, but what is actually a volcano? With only a few simple words, it is a mountain in which the molten rock, called magma, and several gases are erupted outside the earth's surface. The term "volcano" originates from the mythological name of the Roman god of fire "Volcanus".

The Earth's lithosphere is composed of seven major plates and many minor plates. Where the plates meet, their relative motion determines the type of boundary: convergent, divergent, or transform. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation occurring along these plate boundaries. When these huge tectonic plates collide against each other, enormous pressure is created. The volcanoes allow the pressure to be released thanks to the eruptions, letting out enormous quantities of magma and gas pushed to the other by the physical forces.

Here is a list of some of the most famous volcanic eruptions recorded in human history!

Mount Vesuvius, Italy

Tthe eruption in 79 AD buried the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in ash and lava. 16.000 people were killed, with some bodies still being discovered today.

Krakatoa in Indonesia 

The eruption of 1883 was equivalent to 200 megatons, about 13.000 times the nuclear yield of the Little Boy bomb that devastated Hiroshima.

Mount Pinatubo, Philippines

In 1991 made the second-largest volcanic explosion in the 20th century, causing magma flows and ash deposits that left 100.000 homeless and 847 dead. The 20 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide that were emitted blew holes in the ozone layer. As a result the world's temperature dropped by a whole degree Fahrenheit the following year.

How much of the Earth is volcanic?

Did you know that 80% of the earth's surface is volcanic? above and below sea level is of volcanic origin. The volatile emissions of volcanoes created the first oceans and the Earth's atmosphere, providing the vital ingredients to evolve and sustain life on Earth. In the various geological periods, the innumerable volcanic eruptions produced mountains, plateaus and plains, which subsequently eroded, transforming them into landscapes in majestic fields and fertile land.

The majority of volcanoes can be found in what is known as the “Ring of Fire”, a major area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. When a volcanic eruption occurs, the show is not to be missed! Millions of tons of ash and dust are emitted from the crater, creating beautiful lighting effects at sunset with purple-pink flashes. This is the result of the passage of sunlight through the ash suspended in the atmosphere, it will remain imprinted in memory.

You may not know it, but many products of volcanic activity are in common use. If you have a pumice stone in your bathroom, that rock, comes from a volcano. They are very light rocks due to the very high porosity, they are created when a highly pressurized rock is expelled from an erupting volcano. Volcanic ash can also be found in some hand soaps and household cleaners.

Volcano Lovers 

In countries with volcanic landscapes, volcanic tourism is often a big business. People are willing to travel around the world to experience these incredible natural forces. In addition to the natural thrill, to stand next to an active craters, you should know that the volcanic soil is incredibly fertile.

This can be a great attraction for the most diverse fans of both flora and palate, with wines, often of high quality and delicacies of all kinds. So why not, on your next trip, join the thousands of volcano enthusiast around the world and be ready to be happy!

Sicily is the island where you can find the most active volcanoes of Italy. Let yourself be enchanted by the beauty of Etna and surprised from the force of Stromboli, icons of world volcanism.