Mount Etna - Sicily, Italy - A Glimpse through the Clouds

Snow-covered volcanic ridges of Mount Etna emerge briefly through swirling clouds, revealing the stark winter landscape of Sicily's great volcano.

The snow-covered upper slopes of Mount Etna emerge through a break in the clouds, offering a fleeting glimpse of the rugged volcanic landscape high above Sicily. Dark ridges of lava and volcanic rock cut through the white snow while thick clouds drift across the higher slopes, alternately revealing and concealing the mountain. Etna is an active stratovolcano on the eastern coast of Sicily and one of the world's most intensively studied active volcanoes. Its summit area contains several major craters, while numerous cones, fissures and overlapping lava flows mark its extensive flanks. During winter, snow can transform the higher elevations into an almost alpine landscape, creating a dramatic contrast with the black and reddish volcanic rock. Weather conditions can change rapidly at altitude, and passing clouds often alter the view from one moment to the next. Mount Etna was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013 in recognition of its exceptional volcanic activity, geological importance and long history of scientific observation.