Many people were surprised to see and capture images of circular smoke rings rising from the summit of a mountain high into the sky. This is a very rare phenomenon, according to scientists’ explanations.
An unusual sight occurred last weekend: Smoke plumes rising from the summit of Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy) formed perfect circles as they ascended. Those nearby, including many tourists, were astonished by this enchanting image and curious about what this phenomenon was and whether it was dangerous.
According to Dr. Boris Behncke from the Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Catania, Italy, these circles may look like smoke but are not smoke. They are a combination of various condensed gases—primarily water vapor—escaping from magma (molten rock) and rising quickly from the volcano’s crater. When these gases escape from the volcano in short bursts, they can form circular shapes.
Mount Etna emitting strange circles. (Photo: SWNS).
The phenomenon of multiple gas circles rising from Mount Etna is referred to as “volcanic vortices”, which are extremely rare phenomena, according to AP. While not unprecedented, “volcanic vortices” only occur when the volcano’s crater is circular and in still air. Strong winds would prevent the formation of these gas circles.
Dr. Behncke told the Italian media that Mount Etna produces these intriguing circles more than any other volcano on Earth.
Although the sight of smoke rings rising from the volcano may seem quite mysterious to many, volcanologists believe this phenomenon poses no danger at all.
A perfect circle. (Photo: Reuters).
Mount Etna erupts quite frequently, and its activity has been recorded for over 3,500 years, according to AccuWeather.
