WIRED ScienceAfter one of the most quiet years in decades, Etna has decided to make 2017 a little more exciting. Early this week, the volcano had a moderate strombolian eruption, what the folks who monitor Etna call a “paroxysm,” that produced a lava fountain over the summit of the volcano. Strombolian eruptions(named after nearby Stromboli)are caused by gas-rich magma reaching the surface and erupting explosively.
