Contrary to what others might have expected, the latest eruption of Italy's Mount Etna was reportedly "benign." What could have been the reasons behind this impression?

Earlier this week, the world was shocked to learn that the volcano located on the east coast of Sicily, Italy released magma. Experts revealed that the active stratovolcano had what is called "paroxysm," or a moderate strombolian eruption.

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Strombolian eruptions happen when the gas-rich magma reaches the surface then erupts "explosively." At the same time, lava coming out of the volcano is also being observed.

While some photos of the Mount Etna eruption circulating online showed the New Southeast Crater emitting a stream of lava, a new report noted that what happened was not that severe. Compared to plinian eruptions that happened in Mount Pinatubo (Philippines) and Mount St. Helens (Pacific Northwest region of the United States), strombolian eruptions are "less intense."

Mount Etna does not have a history of making such an explosive eruption, although, it happened in the past when lava flow was diverted in order not to cause a hazard to air traffic.

Readers must not immediately believe everything they read and see since there have been websites that share "a torrent of hyperbole," or news items that are not factual.

In the meantime, in January, numerous tremors were recorded within the area. On Jan. 26, a magnitude 3.5 quake was noted at 10:31 a.m.

Residents were alerted, however, no damage to buildings or injuries were ever recorded following the phenomenon.

It is worth noting that despite its not-so-intense recent eruption, Mount Etna remains one of Europe's most active volcanoes. It is also considered the highest peak of the Alps, particularly in its southern portion.