Mount Etna erupts, shooting a massive ash cloud into the sky and raising alerts

Smoke rises from the crater of the Etna volcano as it erupts, on Mount Etna near Catania, Italy, on Monday. A huge plume of ash, gas and rock spewed forth from Europe

Mount Etna produced a spectacularly explosive eruption Monday, sending a ripple of reddish clouds down from the southeast summit of Europe's highest active volcano.

(Image credit: Giuseppe Distefano)