Etna Lava Tubes Project was born with the aim of spreading knowledge of little-known or unpublished Etna caves.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 Below we report a census of little-known caves - for which information is not available elsewhere - or unpublished discovered by our team in particular by the founders of EtnaExcursion.it Dario & Paolo Teri.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 North East – Territory: Castiglione
Coordinates: 37° 48′ 39.2′ N 15° 02′ 26.0”E / 37.810882,15.040560
ELEVATION: 1820m.
Development: about 22 meters
Nearest known location: Monte Nero
Exploration: Can be visited with speleological equipment.
Explored by: Dario Teri, Paolo Teri, Piera D'Arrigo on 4.11.2022/XNUMX/XNUMX.
Notified to the relevant municipality on \\
As for the White Cave, this is a modestly developed cave, but we believe it is useful to include it in the census to associate it with a possible excursion in the area, present on the long eruptive fracture of 1911 (lower part). It is a classic lava tube about 4 meters wide and 1,5/2 meters high, quite easily passable without difficulty. The lava channel has two entrances, one upstream and the other downstream. Here the lava flow must have been intense given the width of the walls of the lava river. Just a few meters away this must have forked forming a strange shape that resembles the bow of a large submarine. Hence the name given to the cavity (in memory of the well-known film) to identify it from the others in the area. Probably this and other cavities of similar development are known to the shepherds and more expert guides of the area, however they are not listed. Nearby there are also other modest caves discovered on the same day: Grotta Bianca and the lower and upper Frattura 1911 caves.
Dario Teri November 4, 2022 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