Mount Etna Erupts During the Holidays, Ending an Active Volcanic Year in a Grand Finale

On Christmas Eve 2025, in the heart of Mount Etna in Sicily, the rumbling began again. Although Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, showing activity throughout the year, one of its main craters on the northeast side has finally awakened after nearly 30 years of dormancy.

According to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), volcanic activity had been high for several weeks. However, on December 24, 2025, several monitored signals, including volcanic tremors, ground deformations, and infrasound activity, began to peak.

Soon after, the northeast crater began spewing flaming material, waking up after decades of inactivity.

Etna’s crater wakes up after 30 years

Over the course of several days, most of Etna’s summit craters – Bocca Nuova, Voragine and Northeast – emitted modest amounts of volcanic ash, accompanied by strong but sporadic Strombolian explosions. This led to ash fall in Piano Provenzana and Taormina, with plumes rising up to eight kilometers above sea level.

Notably, the northeast crater ejected coarse pyroclastic material more than 300 feet high, spreading across the cone and well beyond its base. It also produced a continuous lava fountain several tens of meters high, according to an INGV press release. Meanwhile, Voragine Crater generated an eastward-moving lava flow, reaching over a mile in length.

Learn more: Some volcanoes don’t explode in an eruption – a hidden force helps pressure escape

The most active volcano in Europe

Mount Etna, at the tip of Italy’s ‘boot’, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and the most active in Europe, measuring more than two and a half times higher than Mount Vesuvius.

Because volcanoes can change significantly in morphology after major eruptions, Mount Etna’s height varies, currently rising to about 10,900 feet above sea level. Covered in snow, it is also a popular tourist destination, with two ski resorts on its slopes.

According to BritishThe volcano began rumbling about 2.6 million years ago, at the end of the Neogene period, an era known for significant tectonic changes. Ancient Greek legends explained the violent activity of Etna either by the workshop of Hephaestus, god of fire and ironwork, or by the presence of buried giants moving the mountain. The name of Etna probably derives from the Greek aíthōmeaning “I am burning”.

Etna’s activity has an impact on tourism and air traffic

2025 was a vital year for Etna. Since February, there have been three distinct eruptive phases, each with different “styles” of activity, making them very interesting to volcanologists. For example, a major eruption in June sent plumes up to 21,000 feet, disrupting local air traffic and tourist activities, according to Boris Behncke, a volcanologist at the INGV in Catania.

The current eruption has also triggered a red alert for flights, the highest alert level, but it has not fully affected operations at Catania International Airport, Italy’s main national news agency Ansa reported. Despite the drop in activity yesterday, local authorities continue to call on residents to stay informed of current developments.

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