Mt. Etna gushing plume from an eruption in 2001, as seen from an image captured in space by the International Space Station. (c) NASA

The famous volcano in Sicily has been subjected to a number of eruption in this highly active past year. This weekend however, residents of nearby towns on Sicily were treated to a spectacular show of tectonic fireworks as Europe’s most active volcano, Mt Etna, erupted in glorious fashion. Get just a hint of the real display at large in the video below.

Etna has experienced a number of eruptive episodes over the last 2 weeks or paroxysms as they are called by Dr. Boris Behncke. Some have been less impressive, while others have been extremely powerful, blasting lava and ash hundreds of meters into the air.

The last episode, the eight this year, that started this weekend spilled fire fountains upwards of 500 meters (half a kilometers) and a large lava flow that which is still riveting the flanks of the volcano. There are no reports of injuries or damage to property although past lava flows have often threatened the villages surrounding the crater.