Talk:Mount Etna

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Delisted version: Error: invalid time
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Contents

[edit] typ

mount etna is a Mount Etna is a Strato volcano (composite type) this means that it is made up of layers of lava and ash which over the years have deposited over the volcano so this means it is ever growing until the volcano becomes extinct. As I said mount Etna is one of the biggest volcano in the world and ever growing —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.76.67.61 (talk) 13:56, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Legends

According to a local legend, the soul of Elizabeth I of England now resides in Etna; a deal she did with the devil in exchange for his help during her reign Preposterous. We can't respect every bit of nonsense invented by every ignorant fool under the aegis of "NPOV". Or can we? Put it back if you think this is Wikipedia-worthy. Wetman 19:26, 24 Mar 2004 (UTC).

[edit] Delisted GA

There are no references. slambo 17:06, 23 October 2005 (UTC) The external links to the two webcam pages appear to be dead as of 26/02/06.

[edit] Map request

Map needed
 It is requested that a map or maps be included in this article to improve its quality.
Wikipedians in Italy may be able to help!
I've added a topographic map. -- Avenue (talk) 03:01, 28 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Vandalism

Vandalism by unregistered users is still a problem, I ask that others as well as myself watch this page and revert vandalizing changes (I.E. making the page read that it is erupting today) Snoop0x7b 08:46, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mongibeddu > Muncibeddu

I'm not sure why I am unable to edit this article. In any case, I believe the Sicilian spelling of Mongibello should be changed to Muncibeddu, in accordance with the usual atonic o > u vowel change/maintenance and the usual ng > nc mutation, as seen in so many examples: manciari, tìnciri, fìnciri, etc. Since I cannot change it, would someone please. Thank you. //Calicchiulusiculu 16:22, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Taming of Etna

I remember that when Etna erupted in 1992, it was (almost) successfully tamed by the Italian military forces; the lava flows were stopped with the blocks of concrete, the volcano vent was bombed from the air, maybe some other operations also took place. Does anybody have any further details about those issues? I think it's a really interesting topic and should be included in the article about Etna. At least, I'm interested in them and would like to read about it:) CrittoMount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of eruption.

-- From this month's Nature magazine: In your News story "Volcano gets choke chains to slow mud" (Nature 445, 470; 2007), you cite some physicists who had not heard of using concrete balls and linked chain to attempt to plug a mud geyser. The US Navy (in which I was then a commander), the Italian Navy and the US Marine Corps used exactly this approach successfully in Sicily, in April-May 1992, to slow and eventually redirect lava flow from Mount Etna that was threatening the small village of Zafferana.

We came up with this plan while talking to an Italian geologist. He spoke no English and I spoke no Italian, but I have a bachelor's degree in geology and that helped a lot. We communicated on the back of a napkin while seated at a small restaurant at the ski lodge that became our base of operations. The navy units involved tried several different ways to place large decommissioned anti-terrorist barriers into a vent approximately 8,000 feet (2,440 metres) up the side of the volcano.

The first plan was to drop individual barriers into the vent, but that failed because of insufficient quantity, and the heat simply ignited the concrete. We then built a very large slide and were going to stack barriers on the slide and slip it into the vent. The slide was constructed but was impossible to move to the vent as mountain winds forced it into the path of the aircraft. (I filmed it on video and it is rather dramatic.)

Our third plan, which eventually worked, involved linking several dozen barriers together with asbestos-wrapped anchor chain and placing them in position around the vent. Additional concrete 'Dempster Dumpster' pads were placed directly over the vent on a net formed of anchor chain. When the entire assembly was in place it was blown into the vent using plastic explosive. US Navy and US Marine Corps CH-53E helicopters were used to place the barriers and transport the Italian explosives ordinance team required to place the explosives. The lava tube carrying lava down the mountain to the vicinity of Zafferana collapsed when flow was interrupted. That removed the immediate danger.

The long-term solution was to drive a bulldozer up the mountain, dig a very large canal and blow out the side of the vent. We had to change the engine on the bulldozer when we finally got it in place, as moving it up the hill destroyed the original engine.

The operation was extremely hazardous and at times conducted in blinding snowstorms. Aircrews had to contend with the noxious mix of gases as they hovered directly over the vents for long periods of time. Several US Navy and US Marine Corps aircrews were awarded air medals for their performance. The entire operation was designed, developed and coordinated by the Air Operation Department at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily, under the command of Captain Michael Bruner. I had the privilege of running the Air Ops Department during the Etna operation and have 35 air crew hours logged in the CH-53Es operating on the mountain.

[edit] Elevation and coordinates

There had been a contradiction here, with the article supporting both 3323 m and 3350 m. I have edited the elevation based on a 2005 GPS survey and SRTM data. The site previously cited contains elevation inaccuracies; the authors have evidently not used SRTM data. There is no hard evidence that the often quoted 3350 m elevation is based on accurate measurement; some sites that support it concede that it is approximate. Viewfinder 14:36, 19 January 2007. (UTC)

[edit] Semi-protected

This article has been semi-protected for a week as per a request at WP:RFPP. A Train take the 23:09, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Early eruptions

Various sources state that there are historical recordings of eruptions all the time back to 1500 BCE. Anyone who can tell more about sources describing its eruption at that point of time? I have been searching, but haven't found any details. Summer Song 18:18, 2 November 2007 (UTC)