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Official bulletins
To know what the volcano is doing and whether there are aviation notices, read the sources directly.
The charts are the official ones published by INGV; no data is simulated. For official bulletins and updates visit INGV Catania.
Data in plain words
Understanding tremor, earthquakes and heat
INGV charts are made for specialists. Here you find what they show, how to read them and the numbers in tables. Sources are always indicated and nothing is made up.
What is volcanic tremor
It is a continuous, very weak vibration of the ground recorded by seismometers. Unlike an earthquake (a single jolt), tremor is a “background noise” that rises when gas and magma move inside the volcano. The chart shows how strong that vibration is over time: the higher the line, the stronger the tremor.
How to read the chart in 4 steps
- Horizontal axis: time, the last 7 days; the most recent moment is on the right.
- Vertical axis: tremor amplitude (RMS value, an average of the vibration's intensity).
- Coloured bands: green = low level, yellow = medium, red = high.
- Look at the trend: the direction (rising, falling, stable) matters more than a single point.
INGV does not publish numeric thresholds for these bands: the level is read from the colour. Tremor alone does not say whether an eruption will happen.
INGV chart levels
| Colour | Level | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Low | Volcano at rest or with weak activity. |
| Yellow | Medium | Activity under way or resuming: check the bulletins. |
| Red | High | Usually accompanies strong emissions, lava fountains or an eruption in progress. |
The four stations: ECPN, EMFS, ECBD, ECNE
Each chart comes from a different seismic station of the INGV – Osservatorio Etneo network. Showing four lets you compare several points of the volcano: if they all rise together, the activity is real and widespread, not a local disturbance.
| Code | Where it is | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| ECPN | Piano Crater, near the summit area | Reference station: its level (low/medium/high) is the one quoted in the bulletins. |
| ECNE | Area of the North-East Crater | Very close to the summit craters: it immediately senses changes in explosive activity. |
| ECBD | Bocca di Valle area (east) | Monitors the eastern side, towards the Valle del Bove. |
| EMFS | Monte Frumento Supino area (high altitude) | Comparison point farthest from the craters: useful to tell whether the signal is widespread. |
Approximate location; for exact coordinates and technical details see the website of INGV – Osservatorio Etneo.
Reading examples
| What you see | What it may mean | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Line in the green, stable | Weak or no activity. | Ordinary conditions: still check the weather and crater notices. |
| Line rising from green to yellow in a few hours | The volcano is “waking up” (activity increasing). | Read the latest INGV bulletin before going up. |
| Line in the red | Strong activity under way (e.g. lava fountains). | Follow ordinances and the authorities' instructions; do not approach the craters. |
| Line falling from red to yellow/green | The episode is ending, but may resume. | Wait for official communications before rescheduling high-altitude hikes. |
| Only one station rises, the others don't | It may be a local disturbance (strong wind, noise). | Compare with the other three and with the bulletin. |
These are general indications, not forecasts. Access to the craters is regulated by ordinances: for safety decisions always refer to Civil Protection, INGV and authorised volcanological guides.
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How to read magnitude
| Magnitude | Typical effect |
|---|---|
| Below 2.0 | Generally not felt by people. |
| 2,0 – 2,9 | May be felt only near the epicentre, if shallow. |
| 3,0 – 3,9 | Felt in nearby towns; usually no damage. |
| 4,0 – 4,9 | Felt over a wide area; possible slight damage near the epicentre. |
In the Etna area many earthquakes are shallow (a few kilometres): this is why even low magnitudes can be felt. Depth is in kilometres below sea level; values close to zero or negative indicate very shallow events.
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What are heat anomalies
Satellites measure the heat emitted by the surface. When a spot much hotter than its surroundings appears on Etna (lava flow, fountain, very active craters) the satellite flags it. Each row in the table is a detected “hot spot”.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| FRP (MW) | Radiative power of the hot spot, in megawatts: the higher it is, the more heat it emits. |
| Confidence | Low / nominal / high: how sure the satellite is that it is a real hot spot. |
| Distance from the crater | How far it is from the centre of the summit area. Small values = craters; larger values = possible lava flow. |
Note: no rows does not mean “no activity”. Satellites pass only a few times a day and clouds block the measurement. These are preliminary data, not official bulletins.
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The alerts are not an official warning system: for safety, refer to Civil Protection and INGV.
The South Slope
The south slope is Etna's most touristic and accessible. Here is Rifugio Sapienza, the hub for hikes, winter activities and the famous cable car.
The Etna cable car takes you up to 2,500 metres, from where you can continue by off-road vehicle and on foot towards the summit craters. The Silvestri Craters, easy to reach, offer spectacular lunar views.
Etna is a constantly evolving volcano: its height changes with every eruption and its craters are constantly monitored by INGV. Its eruptions have shaped a unique territory, rich in trails, lava caves and breathtaking landscapes.
Map of Etna
Explore the points of interest on the south slope
News & Updates
From the site archives
October 2026: calm, then renewed activity
News from OctoberOn 12 October strong degassing and rising tremor at the North-East Crater. On the 21st a magnitude 3.8 earthquake in the Valle del Bove. On the 28th the aviation notice (VONA) went to orange for a weak ash emission; the airport stays operational.
September 2026: ash and flight stops
News from SeptemberAsh from the Voragine crater for weeks. Red and orange VONA notices, with flights stopped at Catania on 14 September and from the 26th to the 28th.
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Sources: Corriere Etneo, Famiglia Cristiana, Il Fatto Quotidiano, Euronews, Geopop, StrettoWeb, Risorgimento Sicilia, INGV bulletin no. 44/2026. Press reports summarised by us; for the current status only the INGV website is authoritative.