Etna. Nature miracle

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Etna. Nature miracle

Wonders of nature

Ancient Greek myths tell about the struggle of the Thunderer Zeus with his father - the god Kronos (Kronos). Zeus was supported in battle by his brothers and sisters, as well as one-eyed giants, the cyclops. With Kron, the gods-titans fought side by side. Zeus threw hundreds of thunders and sparkling lightnings at them.

ethno
ethno

The Olympian gods, led by Zeus, won. However, the goddess of the earth Gaia was dissatisfied with the outcome of this truly titanic battle - after all, Kron was her own son. She sent the giant hundred-headed dragon Typhon to Zeus. His body was covered with stone-hard feathers that bounced off arrows. Instead of legs, Typhon had the tails of huge snakes. Three moiras, the goddesses of fate, helped Zeus defeat this monster. They cut the thread of the dragon's life. Typhon immediately wilted. Zeus took off all his heads with one blow. However, the dragon was so powerful that the life did not immediately leave his body. He was still scratching with his paws and belching fire. To bury the monster, Zeus piled a huge mountain on him.

Fascinating story, you say. For the inhabitants of ancient Greece, it was true. In confirmation of their correctness, they would say that they know this mountain very well. It is located on the east coast of Sicily and is called Etoia. The smoke from Typhon's dying breath still curls above her. The words about smoke are true. After all, Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe. Its exact height is difficult to name. It changes from eruption to eruption. The snow cap of Etna rises above the level of the Mediterranean Sea above the mark of 3300 meters. Snow adorns the top of the volcano intermittently. It melts during eruptions.

One of the strong eruptions occurred in 396 BC. e. Then the lava flows stopped the army of the Carthaginians, who landed in Messina and went to Catania, heading towards Syracuse. In 44 BC. e. the volcano "puffed" so hard that a cloud of ejected ash flew to Rome and eclipsed the sky over this city. In the 1614th century, Etna erupted continuously for ten whole years - from 1621 to 4. The last strong eruption occurred relatively recently - September 2007, 200. In total, over the past two millennia, Etna has erupted about XNUMX times. To be convinced of the lively volcanic character of Etna, one does not have to wait a whole century. There are several hundred small side craters on the slopes of Etna. At the same time, once every three months, lava pours out of one or the other!

Volcanologists studying the behavior of Etna warn: the character of the volcano is deteriorating, becoming more and more aggressive. It is possible that a major eruption will soon occur. Tourists ignore these warnings and continue to climb the slopes of Etna. Who does not count every coin in his pocket, comfortably rides on an SUV or rises in a cable car. Thrifty people travel by regular bus. It runs once a day from the nearest town of Catania. The very one that was almost completely destroyed as a result of an eruption that occurred in 122 BC. e. The Roman Senate then, in order to help the victims, decided to save the inhabitants of the slopes of Etna for ten years from paying taxes.

Extreme lovers climb Mount Etna themselves. On foot straight ahead, overlooking the side craters along the way. There is no single reliable path. Etna, like an Italian fashionista, regularly changes the style of her lava hat.

Author: Afonkin S.Yu.

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