Ash and rocks rained down on nearby towns in Sicily
Europe's biggest and most active volcano has been erupting since mid-February, raining ash and smoke over Sicily's eastern coast. Mount Etna last erupted at 2am local time (1am GMT) on Sunday, March 7, in a spectacular display of nature's fireworks. The eruption, or paroxysm, saw "impressive lava fountains" shoot into the sky from Etna's northeast crater, according to volcanologists at Volcano Discovery.
Activity picked up in the wee morning hours on Sunday after three days of relative peace and quiet.
Volcano Discovery said: "This marks the 10th paroxysm in a row in a remarkable series since February 16.
"Intervals between individual eruptions have been regular, ranging between 36 hours to 3.5 days only, and
there are no signs that this series is ending soon."
Lava fountaining at Etna's crater was preceded by a spike in volcanic tremors - a surefire sign of magma rushing to the surface.
The volcano belched a column of ash and smoke that left nearby towns covered in ash and was even picked up by satellites, according to BBC Weather.
A report issued by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Toulouse (VAAC) on Sunday warned of sulphur dioxide (SO2) mixed with ice and some ash in the clouds around the volcano.
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