Etna

March 26, 1536 Eruption of Etna

March 26, 1536 · VEI 3 · 1 death

Etna in Italy erupted on March 26, 1536 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. The eruption killed 1 person.

Where it erupted

Etna, Italy, with its other significant eruptions.

Open the live map with volcanic ash advisories and webcams

The eruption

Date
March 26, 1536
Volcano
Etna, stratovolcano
Country
Italy
Volcanic Explosivity Index
3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
Killed by
Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts)
Location
37.748° N, 14.999° E

The toll

Deaths
1

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

A physician of Lentini approached too closely (to a newly active crater?) and was killed by a volley of red-hot stones. (reference #9675)

Other significant eruptions of Etna

More

Every eruption in 1536The 1500sEtnaEarthquakes near EtnaThis day in weather history

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 14.