About Mount Etna

Its Beauty

Name of Volcano: Mount Etna meaning "Mountain of Fire" in East Coast of Sicily, Italy
Type of Volcano: Stratovolcano
Category of Volcano: Active
Number of Eruptions: Major eruptions in 1949, 1971,1981,1983 & 1991- 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 in the 20th century. The eruptions in 2001, 2002-2003, and 2004-2005 lasted for 3 weeks, 3 months and 6 months respectively. the 1970s and 2000 it had rare smoke rings occurring. *The most recent was an ash eruption in April 2010.
Physical and Human landscape: Fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain and the broad Plain of Catania to the south.Etnas magma has unique petrologic and geochemical features. After numerous eruptions, the growth was affected due to majour eruptions, causing the collapse of the summit and forming calderas.(occurs when summit collapses)
Dangers the volcano poses: The peak erupts at a slow enough rate for people to escape a lava burial, the gentle giant could put people at an increased risk of a different hazard—the development of . thyroid cancer. Those living near in volcanic province(eg. Catania) will be at risk to develop papillary thyroid cancer.Along with the risk factors most commonly associated with this cancer, such as radiation exposure and a diet low in iodine, previous studies have found soaring thyroid cancer rates in the volcanic areas of Hawaii and Iceland. Etna's gas leaks into the water source of Cantania Why this cancer here in Sicily? The Sicily Island has rural and urban areas…volcanic and nonvolcanic areas, and a homogenous population; thus, Sicily is a favorable setting for the evaluation of environmental influences on thyroid cancer etiology.
Types of things put in place to prevent loss and damage
from the volcano erupting: They diverted the flow after the 1669 eruption which, although partial technical success in saving Catania by disturbing its channel, threatened another town and was reversed causing devastation in Catania and resulting in legislation lasting until 1983 outlawing any such future attempt. During the  1983 eruption, it was decided that the lava flow
be diverted by means of blasting the walls of its main feeding channel with explosives, through the use of the eastern barriers. the observatory of Mt Etna was not destroyed.
What i believe they can put in place in monitoring a volcano: They can have weekly walks up the mountain to check on it and see if it poses any signs of a future eruption.

 
                                                                    

This is a video of one of Mt Etna's Eruption: