Molten lava flows down the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy

Mount Etna, active volcano on the east coast of Sicily. The name comes from the Greek Aitne, from aithō, “I burn.” Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe, its topmost elevation being about 10,900 feet (3,320 metres). Like other active volcanoes, it varies in height, increasing from deposition during eruptions and decreasing from the periodic collapse of the crater’s rim. In 1865 the volcanic summit was about 170 feet (52 metres) higher than it was in the early 21st century. Etna covers an area of some 600 square miles (1,600 square km), and its base has a circumference of about 93 miles (150 km).