Most Dangerous Volcano in Europe is Sliding Toward the Sea and Consequences could be Devastating
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ItalyβsΒ Mount Etna, Europeβs tallest and most active volcano, is slowly sliding towardΒ theΒ Mediterranean Sea, according to new research.
The famousΒ tourist attraction, which is located on the east coast of the island ofΒ Sicily, is sliding at a pace of 14 mm per year,Β geologist Dr. John Murray reported. Murray has spent more than 40 years studying the stratovolcano,
..with the team of researchersΒ examiningΒ GPSΒ measurements of Mount Etna’sΒ location over anΒ 11-year time span from 2001 to 2012. The researchers found that the volcano was moving at a slow pace toward Giarre town, though they said thereβs no reason for the movement to cause concern yet. Murray and his team found that Mount Etna volcano is moving down a gentle slope of 1-3 degrees, with its foundation of weak sediments allowing for the movement.
The researchers believeΒ this isΒ the first time a downward βbasement slidingβ of an entire volcano has been recorded, and that it could lead to landslides withΒ “devastating consequences”Β should the speed at which its moving accelerate down the line.