Lava flows down the side Mount Etna, Sicily. (Image credit to Michele Cipriano/EyeEm via Getty ImagesSatellite images show that Mount Etna is Europe's tallest volcano and most active. It has grown to about 100 feet (30 m) in height in the last six months.The youngest and most active of Etna’s four summit craters, the southeastern crater stands at 11,013 feet (3.357 m) above the sea level. According to the National Institute for Geophysics (INGV), it is located at Catania, Sicily, at the foot Mount Etna.The sudden growth spurt is due to about 50 volcanic eruptions at the southeastern crater over the past two years, the INGV reported in a translated statement published Aug. 10. Scientists noticed the sudden growth after analyzing images from the Earth-imaging Pliades Satellites on July 13th and July 25. According to the INGV, there is a 10 foot (3 m) uncertainty in these data.Related: 5 colossal conical cones: The Biggest Volcanoes on EarthThe southeastern crater is actually taller than its "big sibling", the northeastern, which has been the tallest peak of Etna for 40 years.Image 1 of 2. These images were taken by the Pliades satellites on July 13, (A) or July 25, (B) respectively. Image credit: National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology. Image 2 of 2. A digital model of Mount Etna's surface based on data from July 25, 2021. Image credit: National Institute for Geophysics and VolcanologyIt reached its maximum height of 10,990ft (3,350m) in 1981 and 1980, when the northeastern volcano erupted. However, the height of the crater has decreased as its edges have collapsed over the years. The northeastern crater was 10,912 feet (3.326 m), tall as of 2018.According to NASA's Earth Observatory, Mount Etna was thought to have been formed as a submarine volcano. It grew slowly above sea level, erupting time and again, steadily increasing its height with solidifiedlava. It is now covered in lava flows that were formed 300,000 years ago. Click here to see a 3D digital view of Etna's summit.Original publication on Live Science
