Boris Behncke
Volcanologist with INGV-Osservatorio Etneo (Catania, Sicily). Happy husband & father. Intolerant to racism, fascism, misogyny, narcissism, violence. Prog lover
- During the days of the heavy storm "Harry", which caused widespread devastation in eastern Sicily on 19-21 January 2026, I started working on a new piece of progressive rock, which is now ready, and is called DAYS OF THE STORM soundcloud.com/boris-behnck... Photo by lascicilia.it
- My first, brand-new music of 2026: EXCUSES as in: pretexts, justifications, alibis ... used for all sorts of despicable and horrible actions that we constantly hear of. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons is not coincidental at all. soundcloud.com/boris-behnck...
- When I was 15 and dreaming of finding a girlfriend, I wrote a little song Take A Walk With Me Just to give you an idea of where my musical evolution started ... I was very much into The Beatles (still am, though) and had yet to discover Prog. soundcloud.com/boris-behnck...
- Just after midnight on 1 January 2026, a new eruption started from #Etna's eastern flank: a fissure opened at ~2100 m elevation, and a lava flow is descending through the desert-like Valle del Bove. Photos taken in the evening of 1 January from Etna's east and southeast flanks
- Just in time before things got crazy at #Etna, I rapidly composed and recorded a brand-new song AT THE END OF A YEAR It's a shorter song than usual for me, and only slightly prog to be honest - but I admit that I am very satisfied with it. soundcloud.com/boris-behnck...
- The new vent that opened on the morning of 27 December 2027 on the upper east flank of the Voragine crater at the summit of #Etna, seen in Strombolian eruption on the evening of the 28th. This activity has been continuing over the past 24 hours without significant variations. Seen from south
- Not one, but TWO paroxysmal eruptive episodes at #Etna 's Northeast Crater on 27 December 2025, AND minor activity at the Voragine crater. Though the Northeast Crater has frequently shown minor activity in recent decades, its last paroxysmal episode was on 27-28 March 1998.
- Eruptive activity has increased since 24 December 2025 at two of #Etna 's four summit craters: the Northeast Crater and the Bocca Nuova. Strombolian explosions produce jets of incandescent material and minor ash emissions www.ct.ingv.it/Dati/informa...
- Here comes a new song from yours truly! VITA INCOGNITA "Vita incognita" describes an unexplored aspect of existence, a mysterious journey, or a new chapter of life full of discovery and potential challenges - pretty much how my life went in 2025. soundcloud.com/boris-behnck...
- Signs of life from the Bocca Nuova crater at the summit of #Etna, 20 November 2025, with emissions of dark ash from the eastern inner pit of the crater. Similar emissions in the past have heralded periods of magmatic activity within that crater.
- A little new song from myself, written in part in 1987 and in part in 2025: GEMONA dedicated to a little town in the northeastern Italian town that was devastated by an earthquake in 1976 and beautifully reconstructed soundcloud.com/boris-behnck...
- A new fine piece of progressive rock, composed by yours truly in part in 2020, and then again in 2025, which is about the sense of life and about ... cats. That's What Life Is All About soundcloud.com/boris-behnck...
- A musical voyage on the long road that is the past 40 years in my life THE NEVER ENDING ROAD soundcloud.com/boris-behnck... A tune I composed after my first visit since 1991 to the city of Bochum, where I started studying geology in 1985, with the aim of becoming what I am now: a volcanologist
- New music from Yours Truly !!! SALINA dedicated to the beautiful island in the Aeolian Islands, a melody that came to me almost thirty years ago, but remained unfinished until August 2025. soundcloud.com/boris-behnck... Photo taken in October 2005 ⬇️
- How does lava sound when it comes to the surface of the Earth? Listen to a lava flow oozing out of its effusive vent high on the southwestern side of #Etna, 28 August 2025. That day no visits by tourists were allowed on the site, which permitted this (relatively) clean recording
- The Southeast Crater - youngest and most active of the four summit craters of #Etna - producing Strombolian explosions and a lava flow on the evening of 24 August 2025. The current summit eruption started on 14 August. Photo taken from Nicolosi on Etna's south flank.
- #Etna 's new lava flow is slowly advancing down the southeast flank of the volcano (currently at about 2400 m elevation), and is accompanied by mild Strombolian activity at the Southeast Crater. Photos taken from Nicolosi, on Etna's south flank, on the evening of 16 August 2025
- A new lava flow started early on 14 August 2025 from a vent at 2980 m elevation on #Etna 's upper south flank, near the site of the February 2025 eruption. Lava is flowing southwest into uninhabited areas.
- It took me less than a week to compose, record and edit this simple song, and I must admit that I really, really like the result. A SLOW DANCE Try doing the slow dance to this music, I am sure it will work! soundcloud.com/boris-behnck...
- New signs of life at the Southeast Crater on #Etna: after more than a month of quiescence, small ash emissions started on the morning of 21 July 2025. These emissions occur in brief sequences about once per hour and mostly produce pulverized older rock. Photo taken from Nicolosi (Etna's south flank)
- I have published a new piece of beautiful prog rock: "Summer On Fire" right at the start of the 2025 summer and the menace of another infernal season of wildfires in Sicily. soundcloud.com/boris-behnck...
- A new song (composed 40 years ago) from yours truly And The Sun Will Shine Again about how even the worst dark, cold moments in life will pass, and the sun will come out and shine again - as long as there is a life to live and to enjoy. soundcloud.com/boris-behnck...
- A musical voyage across the landscapes of Mount #Etna, from the lower slopes, to the forests and savannas surrounding older and younger craters, cones, and lava flows, to the barren volcanic lands near the summit PASSEGGIANDO IN MONTAGNA walking on the mountain soundcloud.com/boris-behnck...
- First paroxysmal eruptive episode at #Etna's Southeast Crater since 18 months, on the morning of 2 June 2025. Collapse of the northeast flank of the crater generated a spectacular (but harmless) pyroclastic flow down the upper side of the mountain. (1/2)
- #Etna, Southeast Crater, 12 May 2025. For the 13th time in little less than 2 months, our volcano is producing a great show, with two lava flows, one to southeast, the other south, and gorgeous pulsating lava fountains, without much ash, a wonderful display admired by everyone.
- The 12th eruptive episode at the Southeast Crater of #Etna in little less than two months occurred during rather bad weather on 5 May 2025. Here are two photos that I captured of a new lava flow on the eastern side of the crater in the evening.
- The ever-changing Southeast Crater on #Etna on the day after the latest activity, 1 May 2025. Minor collapse is occasionally occurring in one of the vents, producing small puffs of brownish ash. Seen from various points on the south flank
- The 11th eruptive episode at #Etna's Southeast Crater since 15 March started at midnight (local time) on 30 April 2025. It produced two lava flows, on the southeastern and southern flanks and was more intense than its predecessors.
- And once again, the Southeast Crater on #Etna erupts, for the 10th time in six weeks, on the evening of 22 April 2025.
- Ten minutes of the Southeast Crater of #Etna erupting on the evening of 18 April 2025, seen close up. Sound up! youtu.be/upMUUAPVCuE
