EPOD

EPOD

Vortex Clouds Around Mount Etna

The photo above shows Mount Etna, one of the tallest and most active volcanoes in Europe, producing a spectacular cloud vortex from its eruption plumes. Etna frequently produces eruptive columns formed by volcanic ash, magma fragments and gas- which is also known as tephra- mixed additionally with water vapor. The force of this vertical jet is a product of the accumulated pressure from the eruption. Remarkably, the plumes can rise for miles in the atmosphere and often reach the stratosphere. In addition to their astounding height, the eruptive columns can also achieve very high temperatures and become incredibly dense. Sometimes these columns can be observed near Etna vapor clouds and darker clouds of tephra, which can precede one another and at times even overlap or merge together. The result of this interaction can be spectacular and occasionally vortices have been observed that connect between the two formations. These vortices are likely formed because of the temperature gradient between the hot eruption column and comparably colder clouds. In the picture you can see these connections between the two types of clouds.

Mount Etna and Pillow Lava of Aci Castello

Shown above, at top, is a view of Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily, Italy. Some 600,000 years ago, friction between the Eurasian and African plates, resulted in a long period of submarine volcanic activity that occurred beneath an extensive clayey layer. Manifestations of this activity can be seen today in the pillow lavas that form the cliffs of Aci Castello.

Pillow lava is formed by the escape of molten material below the sea surface. Following a sudden cooling of the lava’s surface, a thin, glassy crust (hyaloclastite) is created, facilitating the lava to divide into roundish blocks that overfold each other (bottom photo). Photos taken on May 17, 2009.

Cloud-to-Ground Lightning

The photo above (at top) shows an attention-getting cloud-to-ground lightning strike as observed on April 4, 2020, from the balcony of my home (I live on the 14th floor) overlooking the city of Noida Extension, India. Luckily, I snapped this shot just as these bolts flashed from the sky. Note that the primary bolt, hitting the tower of a power plant, was powerful enough to light up much of its parent cumulonimbus cloud. Discharge from a strike like this one may approach 100 million volts. The bottom photo was captured during a storm in San Giovanni La Punta (Sicily), Italy.

Photo Details: Nikon D7100 camera; 50.0mm focal length; f/16; 11.5 seconds exposure; ISO 100; Adobe Photoshop 2020 Windows.

Clouds Plowed by the Wind

Featured here on this 360° panorama near Mt. Etna is a sky filled with eye-catching cirrocumulus clouds. Because these clouds are arranged in thin strips or in banks consisting of small whitish clusters, this type of sky is sometimes referred to as a "sheep-like sky." Cirrocumulus clouds form above about 20,000 ft (approximately 6,000 m) in the mid-latitudes and may herald the arrival of a warm front. They’re often used as an indicator that precipitation is on the way. Photo taken on September 20, 2023.


Parsifal Park, Sicily, Italy Coordinates: 37.6426, 14.9944