Etna Lava Tubes Project was born with the aim of spreading knowledge of little-known or unpublished Etna caves.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 Below we report a census of little-known caves - for which information is not available elsewhere - or unpublished discovered by our team in particular by the founders of EtnaExcursion.it Dario & Paolo Teri.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
Etna South West – Territory: Ragalna
Coordinates: UTM wgs84 33s 494795 4167491
ELEVATION: 980 m.
Development: 50 mt
Nearest known location: Monte Arso
Exploration: Visitable with helmet and torch
First exploration: 18 Dec 2023 by Marcello Cantone and Dario Teri
Notified to the relevant municipality on \\
The Minicucco cave takes its name from the presence of a Bagolaro tree at its entrance, in Sicilian dialect precisely minicucco. It is a cavity certainly known in the recent past, by the owners of the land cultivated with olive trees and today forgotten. Evidence of this is the fact that the entrance at the time of the discovery was covered by a very thick blanket of brambles with important trunks and that it was necessary to open a passage with a bolt cutter and scissors to be able to access it.
The cave is located at an altitude of 980 meters and is relatively easy to reach, being located a few hundred meters from Via delle Grotte Catanesi, near a casudda and a sheepfold. It is therefore not an unexplored hypogeum like most of those present in the census, but it is not officially registered. From the entrance you access a large volcanic cavity, of great interest, 50 meters long, with 2 large rooms of about 6 meters high and 8 meters wide.
Dario Teri December 19 2023 Unseen & Little-Known Etna Caves No Responses
Do you want to visit the caves of Etna?
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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