Etna update, 6 January 2011

During the afternoon and evening of 5 January 2011 the activity of the pit crater located on the lower eastern flank of the Southeast Crater cone continued with very weak emissions of incandescent material (probably mostly hot gas with little or no solid material). Weak, intermittent glow was seen at the pit crater during the night of 5-6 January. The emissions are continuing as of the early afternoon of 6 January, at a slightly decreased frequency of 3-4 events per hour, producing small plumes appearing as minor thermal anomalies in the video footage of the INGV-CT thermal monitoring camera at the Montagnola (EMOT). Also on 6 January, there is intense degassing occurring from both the western vent of the Bocca Nuova (BN-1), and from the Northeast Crater, at the latter of which the emissions are taking place in a pulsating manner, generating numerous mushroom-shaped puffs of vapor.