List of Mount Etna eruptions

This is a list of volcanic eruptions from Mount Etna, an active stratovolcano on the Italian island of Sicily that is currently erupting. These eruptions have taken place from summit craters and flank vents, the latter of which are less frequently active, but typically issue volcanic material at higher rates. The earliest reported eruption took place in 1500 BCE, making volcanism at Mount Etna one of the longest documented on Earth. Most of the documented eruptions from Mount Etna have ranked 1–3 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, but infrequent VEI-0, VEI-4 and VEI-5 eruptions have also been recorded since 1500 BCE.

Eruptions during the Common Era

Data obtained from the Global Volcanism Program website.

VEI	Date	Evidence	Activity area or unit
2	– Ongoing	Reported, seismicity	Southeast Crater, Bocca Nuova
3		Reported	Southeast Crater, New Southeast Crater, Northeast Crater, Bocca Nuova, Voragine Crater, Saddle Cone, Cono della Sella
3		Reported	Bocca Nuova, Northeast Crater, New Southeast Crater, Voragine Crater
1		Reported	Southeast Crater
2		Reported	Bocca Nuova, Southeast Crater, flank vents
2		Reported	Southeast Crater, Northeast Crater, flank vents
1		Reported	Bocca Nuova
1		Reported	Southeast Crater, southeast flank
1		Reported	Central Crater
3	December 16, 2001 ± 15 days – November 9, 2003	Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater, south flank, northeast rift
3		Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater, Southeast Crater, south to northeast flanks
1		Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater
3		Reported	Central Crater, Southeast Crater, Northeast Crater, Valle del Bove, east flank, northeast flank, southeast flank, north-northwest flank, south flank
2	September 19, 1971 – March 16, 1979	Reported	Central Crater, Southeast Crater, Northeast Crater, west flank, north flank, southeast flank, east-northeast flank
2		Reported	Northeast Crater, Central Crater, southeast flank
3		Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater, north-northeast flank
1		Reported	Central Crater
1	November 16, 1958 ± 15 days – December 16, 1958 ± 15 days	Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater
2		Reported	Northeast Crater
2		Reported	Northeast Crater
2		Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater
2		Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater, east flank, northwest flank
3		Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater, northeast flank
1	February – October 1946	Reported	Northeast Crater
1	June 5 ± 4 days – October 1945	Reported	Northeast Crater
2	October 1941 – April 26, 1944 ± 4 days	Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater, southwest flank
3	– January 27, 1941	Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater
1	January 5 – March 1934	Reported	Northeast Crater
2	July 26, 1931 ± 5 days – September 1933	Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater
1		Reported	Northeast Crater
1		Reported	Northeast Crater
1		Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater, east flank
1	January 2 – June 1926	Reported	Northeast Crater
2	– February 1925	Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater, northeast flank
2	March – December 1, 1918	Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater, north flank
2	± 4 days	Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater
2	– March 1917	Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater
3	August 1912	Reported	Central Crater
2	August – September 26, 1911 ± 4 days	Reported	Central Crater, Northeast Crater, northeast flank
2		Reported	Central Crater
2		Reported	Central Crater, south flank
2		Reported	Central Crater, southeast flank
2	– August 1907	Reported
3		Reported	Central Crater
1	– June 1898	Reported	Central Crater
2		Reported	Central Crater, south flank, Mount Silvestri
2	February 20 – December 1891	Reported	Central Crater
2	May – October 17, 1890	Reported	Central Crater
2	April 13, 1888 – August 1889	Reported	Central Crater
1	May 31 – August 1887	Reported	Central Crater
3	1884 – June 7, 1886	Reported	Central Crater, south flank
3	– March 31, 1883	Reported	Central Crater, south-southwest flank, north-northeast flank, south flank
2		Reported	Central Crater, north flank
2	May 1874	Reported	Central Crater
0		Reported	East flank
3	November 26 – December 8, 1868	Reported	Central Crater
2		Reported	Northeast flank
2	August 5 ± 4 days – September 19, 1864	Reported	Central Crater
3	– July 25, 1863	Reported	Central Crater
2		Reported	East flank
2	November 17 – December 16, 1843	Reported	Central Crater, west flank
2	November 18 – December 29, 1842	Reported	Central Crater
2	– February 1839	Reported	Central Crater
2		Reported	South-southeast flank, west flank, Mount Nunziata
2	December 1820 – 1833	Reported	Central Crater
2		Reported	Central Crater, Valle del Bove
2	– May 1812	Reported	East flank
2		Reported	Central Crater, north flank, northeast flank
2	– 1819	Reported	Central Crater
2		Reported	Central Crater, east flank
3	1793 – 1802	Reported	Central Crater
3	March 1792 – May 26, 1793 ± 5 days	Reported	Central Crater, west flank, southeast flank
2	February – September 1791	Reported	Central Crater
4	June 4 ± 4 days – August 11, 1787	Reported	Central Crater
2	March –	Reported	Central Crater
2	April 20 – July 1780	Reported	Summit, south flank, south-southwest flank
?	1776	Reported	Central Crater
?	May 2, 1767	Reported	Central Crater
2		Reported	South flank
3	– 1765	Reported	Central Crater, east flank, west flank, south flank, northwest flank
2	– May 10, 1728	Reported	Central Crater
1		Reported	East flank
3	December 1693 – November 1694	Reported	Central Crater
1		Reported	East flank
1	1688	Reported	Central Crater
2	September 1 – October, 1682	Reported	East flank
3	March 11 – July 11 (?), 1669	Reported	South flank
1	– 1656	Reported	Central Crater
1	– July 1653	Reported	West flank, east flank
2		Reported	North-northeast flank, Mount Nero
1		Reported	North flank, Monte Pomiciaro
1	December 19, 1634 –	Reported	Southeast flank, Little Mount Pecorara
2	July 1, 1614 – 1624	Reported	North-northeast flank, Monti Deserti
2		Reported	Southwest flank
2	– 1608	Reported	Southwest flank
2	July 1603 – 1610	Reported	Central Crater
?	September 9, 1579 – 1580	Reported	Southeast flank
2	November 1 – December 1566	Reported	Northeast flank
2	July 1541	Reported
1	July 1540	Reported
2	March – July 1537	Reported	Summit, south flank
3	March 22 – December 1536	Reported	Summit, south flank, north flank, west flank
1	1493 – 1500	Reported
1		Reported
1		Reported	East flank
2	1444	Reported	South flank
3	November 8–25, 1408	Reported	Summit, south flank
2	August 5, 1381 ± 1 days	Reported	South-southeast flank, Mount Pomiciari, Mount Arsi?
2	1350	Reported
2	1333	Reported
3	June 28 – August 4, 1329 ± 4 days	Reported	Southeast flank
?	1284 – January 1285	Reported	East flank
2	1250	Reported
?	August 1224	Reported	Southeast flank
2	1194	Reported
2	1164	Reported
2	1160	Reported
2	1157	Reported
?	1063 ± 1 years	Reported
?	0417	Reported
3		Reported	South flank
?	0100 ± 100 years	Tephrochronology	FV tephra
?	0039 ± 1 years	Reported
?	0010 – 0020	Reported

Eruptions Before the Common Era

Data obtained from the Global Volcanism Program website.

VEI	Date	Evidence	Activity area or unit
?	December 31, 0032 BCE ± 365 days	Reported
?	July 15, 0036 BCE ± 45 days – 0035 BCE	Reported	East flank?
3	March 0044 BCE	Reported	FF tephra layer
?	0049 BCE	Reported	Summit and west flank?
5	0122 BCE	Reported	Summit and south flank
?	June 0126 BCE	Reported
?	0135 BCE	Reported
?	December 31, 0141 BCE ± 365 days	Reported
?	April 15, 0396 BCE ± 45 days	Reported	Southeast flank
?	March 15, 0425 BCE ± 15 days – 0424 BCE	Reported	South flank
?	August 0479 BCE – 0475 BCE	Reported	South flank?
?	0695 BCE ± 2 years	Reported	South flank? Mount Mompilieri?
?	1050 BCE ± 75 years	Radiocarbon dating	South flank
?	1420 BCE ± 75 years	Radiocarbon dating	FL tephra layer
5	1500 BCE ± 50 years	Reported
?	1980 BCE ± 50 years	Radiocarbon dating	FS tephra
?	2330 BCE ± 100 years	Radiocarbon dating
?	3050 BCE ± 150 years	Radiocarbon dating
?	3390 BCE ± 50 years	Radiocarbon dating	Tufo varicolori tephra
?	3510 BCE ± 150 years	Radiocarbon dating
?	4150 BCE ± 150 years	Radiocarbon dating
?	5150 BCE ± 150 years	Radiocarbon dating
?	6190 BCE ± 200 years	Radiocarbon dating

Discredited eruptions

Data obtained from the Global Volcanism Program website.

Date
May 27, 1911
1640
July 1609
1595
1550
1535
1533
1470
1334
1321 – 1328
1222
1175
0604
0560
0500
0410
0400
0165
0072
0050
0350 BCE
1470 BCE

Uncertain eruptions

Data obtained from the Global Volcanism Program website.

Date	Activity area

	Central Crater
	Offshore from Aci-Castello
± 1 days	Central Crater
– May 1724

	Central Crater
1578
1554

1044
0911
0859
0814
0812	South flank
0644
0080
0010 BCE
0056 BCE
0061 BCE
0565 BCE
0735 BCE