December 14, 1991 Eruption of Etna
Etna in Italy erupted on December 14, 1991 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2.
Where it erupted
Etna, Italy, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
The toll
- Damage
- $2.5 million
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.
Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI): 2. Lava Volume: 2.3±0.3 x108 m3. Eruptive Characteristics: Radial fissure eruption, Explosive eruption, Lava flow(s), Damage (land, property, etc.).
After 23 months of quiet, and heralded by ground deformation and a short seismic swarm, effusive activity resumed at Etna early 14 December [1991]. The eruptive vent opened at 2,200 m elevation on the W wall of the Valle del Bove, along a SE-flank fracture that formed during the 1989 eruption... Because of its slow rate of advance, the lava did not threaten lives, but had the potential for severe property destruction. The water supply system for Zafferana... was destroyed in the first two weeks of the eruption ($2.5 million damage).
(above from reference #2432)
Other significant eruptions of Etna
- December 26, 2018
- March 15, 2017
- October 28, 2002
- July 26, 2001
- May 14, 2001
- April 17, 1987
- December 19, 1985
- October 16, 1984
- March 17, 1981
- September 12, 1979
- August 2, 1929
- November 8, 1928
- September 5, 1868
- November 25, 1843
- November 1, 1832
- January 9, 1693
- March 19, 1669
- March 11, 1669
- March 26, 1536
- July 15, 1329
- June 28, 1329
- February 11, 1169
- February 4, 1169
- 141 BC
More
Every eruption in 1991The 1900sEtnaEarthquakes 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 5488.