Overview
What Mount Etna is
Mount Etna is one of Europe's most prominent active volcanoes, with a broad volcanic edifice built by summit and flank eruptions.
Its physical geography is defined by lava flows, ash deposits, crater complexes, and the contrast between high volcanic slopes and surrounding coastal lowlands.
Structure
Crater complexes and flank vents
Etna is not organized around a single simple crater. Flank vents and lava fields show how eruptions can build and modify many parts of a volcanic mountain.
Summit
Crater complex
Upper vents mark the active volcanic core.
Flanks
Lava-field surfaces
Flows extend down the mountain slopes.
Region
Mediterranean setting
Etna belongs to a complex plate-margin zone.