There’s a great new sport going on at the moment as Mt Etna rumbles ominously.
Her eruptions this year have changed the shape of her vent in the most brilliant way possible – Etna now blows the world’s biggest smoke rings.
Onlookers are posting their best snaps of Etna’s best rings (they’re actually steam rings), but Tom Pfeiffer at Volcano Discovery has the best collection.
Here’s a classic example:
Pfeiffer estimates the ring to be 100m wide and says Etna is blowing “dozens if not hundreds during a few hours, often in a row”.
It’s not actually a new phenomenon, just one that comes along every now and then when Etna reshapes herself to suit.
Here’s a beauty from Boris Behncke back in April, who has a collection of Etna shots on Flickr:
And the BBC caught them for the first time way back in 2000, noting that it was unique as Etna was blowing hardly any ash and the rings had a high steam content:
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