Etna Lava Tubes Project was born with the aim of spreading knowledge of little-known or unpublished Etna caves. Natural phenomena among the most fascinating of our volcano. Many texts report that on Etna there are at least 260 known caves. In reality the formation of lava tubes is very common and the number of caves is destined to increase considerably. Below we report a census of little-known caves - for which information is not available elsewhere - or unpublished discovered by our team in particular by the founders of EtnaExcursion.it Dario & Paolo Teri. During an exploratory campaign that began "for fun" in 2018 and still (April 2023), about 70 have been found, not considered in the general count indicated above. Here we report only those considered most interesting from a naturalistic point of view. For the caves already surveyed we recommend a visit to EtnaNatura.it and Mungibeddu.it
Exploration: Only visitable with helmet and lights.
Detected by: Dario Teri (on 3.11.2021/XNUMX/XNUMX)
Notified to the relevant municipality on \\
This is a very interesting lava cave generated by the 1971 flow that poured into the Serracozzo valley and into the beautiful Cubania forest. The cavity is accessed from a large entrance as can be seen in the photos. On the sides you can see beautiful speleothems due to the elastic plasticity of the lava. After about 5 meters there is a difference in height of a couple of meters, which does not necessarily require ropes, but a lot of attention on where to place your feet. From this point there is a hole in which another level of the cave opens up, apparently narrower and which is strongly discouraged to access due to the unstable vault. Continuing on the main channel instead the cave has a very large and interesting ogival shape for about 35 meters until it gradually closes. The cave could be known by some hiking enthusiasts as the entrance is quite evident even if the lava field on which it is located is not very easy to walk, but it would not be known and/or registered in the official lists. If it is known by another name, please contact the authors. Not far away another cave has been explored, certainly unexplored before now because the entrance was completely blocked, of relative interest, called Grotta di Sanareddu, because it is very close to the centuries-old beech tree of the same name.
Dario Teri November 3, 2021 Unseen & Little-Known Etna Caves No Responses
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How are volcanic caves formed?
Lava tubes are very common on Etna. They form during an eruption ...
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16th August 2023 – On August 14th there was a paroxysm (a “lightning” eruption) from the summit craters which has already ended. Everything falls within the normal Etna phenomena. There is no danger for the population and visitors. The excursions are taking place regularly. GO TO NEWS