Mount Etna, Europe’s largest and most active volcano, is slowly sliding towards the Mediterranean Sea, scientists have observed. The entire 3,350m (11,000ft) stratovolcano, located on the east coast of the Italian island of Sicily, is currently moving downslope at an average rate of 14 mm per year - or 1.4 metres over 100 years. Experts have warned the sliding could eventually lead to greater risk of large scale slope failure, which could trigger landslides, however researchers at The Open University emphasised there is currently no sign of that happening. Dr John Murray, lead author of the paper published in the Bulletin of Volcanology, stressed the minute movement currently posed no danger to life, but warned that monitoring the volcano for more significant changes was crucial. “At the moment there is no cause for concern from the sliding of the volcano towards the sea, the movement is just too small,” Dr Murray told The Telegraph. “However, the possibility of things changing in ...
