Etna Lava Tubes Project was born with the aim of spreading knowledge of little-known or unpublished Etna caves.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 Below we report a census of little-known caves - for which information is not available elsewhere - or unpublished discovered by our team in particular by the founders of EtnaExcursion.it Dario & Paolo Teri.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
Nearest known location: Rif. Saletti – Grotta del Faggio
Exploration: Easily accessible and visitable with just lights and helmet.
Taken over by Dario and Paolo Teri (on 10.3.2021)
Notified to the relevant municipality on \\
This cave is one of the countless ones formed during the eruption of 1614-24. It is a cavity that along its entire discrete development of 70 meters does not exceed an average height of 1,50 meters. This means that the cave is accessible to a person of average height who is always bent over, with the exception of a short intermediate section, hence the name that was considered the most appropriate. However, the hypogeum presents in its smallness all the typical phenomena of Etna's lava flow caves: shelves, re-melting stalactites (or rather lava pendants), flow streaks. For this reason, the visit is considered interesting. Also a short distance away are the Grotta del Faggio and the Grotta Star Trek, two of the most fascinating caves on the volcano. At the time of the survey, there were no typical men or other signs of recent human passage, leading to the hypothesis that it could be a cave that is probably very little known and not recorded.
Dario Teri 23 March 2021 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