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Etna
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Etna
Etna or Aetnaboth: ĕt'nə, volcano, 10,958 ft (3,340 m) high, on the east coast of Sicily, S Italy. It is the highest active volcano in Europe. The shape and height of its central cone have often been changed by eruptions. There are more than 260 lesser craters on the slopes, formed by lateral eruptions. The southeastern slope is cut by a deep (2,000–4,000-ft/610–1219-m), precipitous cleft, the Valle del Bove. The first known eruption occurred in 475 B.C. and was described by Pindar and Aeschylus. Of the numerous later eruptions, often accompanied by earthquakes, those of 1169 and 1669 were the most destructive; the most recent major eruption occurred in 1992.

The wide base of Mt. Etna, c.93 mi (150 km) in circumference, is encircled by a railroad. The fertile lower slopes are densely populated agricultural areas. Up to 1,600 ft (488 m) the vegetation is subtropical, yielding citrus fruit, bananas, and figs; between 1,600 and 4,300 ft (488–1,311 m) is a temperate zone, with vineyards and various fruit trees; from there to c.7,000 ft (2,130 m) are chestnut, birch, and pine woods; above, there is a desolate waste of lava and ashes. Near the top there is snow most of the year. There is an observatory at 9,650 ft (2,941 m). A motor road from Nicolosi, NW of Catania, to the 6,170-ft (1,881-m) level was completed in 1935.

Wikipedia search results for: Mount Etna
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mount Etna (redirected from Etna) is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. Its Arabic name was Jebel Utlamat. It is the largest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m lower now than it was in 1981. It is the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps. Etna covers an area of 1,190 km² with a basal circumference of 140 km. This makes it by far the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy, being about two and a half times the height of the next largest, Mount Vesuvius. Only Mount Teide in Tenerife surpasses it in the whole of...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Etna
Results 1 - 10  of 11
  • Paternò

    Paternò, city (1991 pop. 44,266), E Sicily, Italy, at the foot of Mt. Etna, probably the ancient Hybla. It is an agricultural market and a food-processing center.

  • Acireale

    Acireale, city (1991 pop. 46,199), E Sicily, Italy. Beautifully situated on a volcanic plateau near Mt. Etna and near the Ionian Sea, Acireale has been frequented since Roman times for its war...

  • Adrano

    Adrano, town (1991 pop. 32,717), E Sicily, Italy, at the foot of Mt. Etna, near the confluence of the Simeto and Salso rivers. It is the commercial center for a region where olives and citrus ...

  • Catania

    Catania, city (1991 pop. 333,075), capital of Catania prov., E Sicily, Italy, on the Gulf of Catania, an arm of the Ionian Sea, and at the foot of Mt. Etna. It is a busy port and a major comme...

  • Taormina

    Taormina, town (1991 pop. 10,120), E Sicily, Italy, overlooking the Ionian Sea and at the foot of Mt. Etna. It commands a magificent view and is a world-famous winter resort celebrated for its...

  • Ironton

    Ironton, industrial city (1990 pop. 12,751), seat of Lawrence co., S Ohio, on the Ohio River; inc. as a city 1865. Chemicals, dyes, metal pipes, plastics, and iron products are manufactured, a...

  • Apennines

    Apennines, Ital. Appennino, mountain system, running the entire length of the Italian peninsula. It extends south c.840 mi (1,350 km) from the Cadibona Pass in Liguria, NW Italy, where the Ape...

  • Pliocene epoch

    Pliocene epoch, fifth epoch of the Cenozoic era of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale, table), from 5.1 to 2 million years ago. By the beginning of the Pliocene, the outlines of North Ameri...

  • Arnold, Matthew

    Arnold, Matthew, 1822–88, English poet and critic, son of the educator Dr. Thomas Arnold.Arnold was educated at Rugby; graduated from Balliol College, Oxford in 1844; and was a fellow of Oriel...

  • Sicily

    Sicily, Ital. Sicilia, region (1991 pop. 4,966,386), 9,925 sq mi (25,706 sq km), S Italy, mainly situated on the island of Sicily, which is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west and sou...

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