Spectacular, but often also associated with the fallout of ash with great inconvenience for the population. Let’s talk about the lava fountains of Etna. But can they be predicted? A new study by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology of Catania goes in this direction. Thanks to the stations scattered on the volcano and equipped with sensors that capture infrasound inaudible to the human ear, the researchers found that in the 24 hours preceding the fountain, the volcano’s conduit sounds exactly like an organ pipe. We went with them up to an altitude of 3 thousand to discover the secrets of the new research.
The study was conducted by Mariangela Sciotto, Massimo Cantarero and Emanuela De Beni (Ingv), (Andrea Cannata (University of Catania), Leighton Watson (University of Canterbury) and Jeffrey B. Johnson (Boise State University).
by Salvo Catalano