Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (May 2, 1602, November 28, 1680) witnessed eruptions of Mount Etna and Stromboli, then visited the crater of Vesuvius and published his view of an Earth with a central fire connected to numerous others caused by the burning of sulphur, bitumen and coal. Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of activity. The fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain and the broad Plain of Catania to the south. Engraving appeared in Mundus subterraneus, quo universae denique naturae divitiae is a scientific textbook written by Athanasius Kircher, and published in 1665. |