The 14-15 December 2013 eruptive episode at Etna

Etna's latest eruptive episode started on 14 December 2013, after nearly 12 days of quiescence at its new Southeast Crater cone. Differently from previous episodes, this latest one did not reach the same intensity and showed a notable diminution after reaching a relatively mild peak. However, the activity did not wind down as in the earlier cases, but continued at relatively high levels, through 15 December (it is still going vigorously as of 19h00 GMT on 15 December).
This video shows a few of the more spectacular moments during the main phase of activity, in the early morning hours of 15 December. There were huge bursting magma bubbles (which also made windows rattle in towns and villages tens of kilometers away from the volcano), then a new vent burst open high on the southeast flank of the cone. This happened at exactly 05h10 GMT (=local time -1), and the moment is seen at 01:40 in this video. Lava fountaining from the new vent lasted only for a few minutes and then lava continued to flow quietly from the vent. A similar event occurred at 05h33, when a lava fountain sprang up from a new vent a bit further downslope from the earlier one (seen at 04:15 in the video). Lava fountaining from this vent lasted only for a short time, and then gradually diminished. The opening of the two new vents occurred when activity at the summit of the new Southeast Crater cone was rapidly diminishing. However, after reaching a low at sunrise on 15 December, the activity reintensified shortly thereafter, with copious ash emission and vigorous Strombolian activity. In the late afternoon of 15 December, a new peak was reached, with loud detonations audible over a wide area around the volcano.
Video filmed by Boris Behncke, INGV-Osservatorio Etneo, from Tremestieri Etneo, 20 km to the south of the summit of Etna.