The secret of Etna has been revealed: why is it so active?

The 3,400-meter-high Etna on the Italian island of Sicily has long been a major mystery for geologists.

Scientists realized that the chemical structure and formation of the lava ejected from the volcano did not match known volcano types. Researchers found that the movements of giant plates in the Earth's crust are pushing on pockets of magma about 50 miles (80 kilometers) underground. Like squeezing a sponge, the magma is pushed up through the cracks in the crust under this pressure and rises to the surface.

This method, usually called “petit spot,” is usually only found on tiny volcanoes on the ocean floor. However, the realization that this process occurred in a huge stratovolcanic structure like Etna was a big surprise to the scientific world.

This discovery will explain why Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, is so productive and will play an important role in predicting possible future eruptions and updating risk analyzes for settlements in the region.