Lichen on Mount Etna

October 15, 2012

Etnaandlichen

Photographer: Bill Curry
Summary AuthorBill Curry 

As shown above on this July 26, 2012, photo of Italy's Mount Etna, lichen and grasses are starting to re-grow on the volcano's southern summit face. Mount Etna's last major eruption occurred in 2001. However, Etna is still a very active volcano, but lichen can live, grow and re-seed even on a barren lava field. They're able to thrive in some of the most uninviting places on our planet and can tolerate huge swings in temperature and moisture conditions. If conditions are too stressful, though, they'll go into a dormant state. Photo taken at approximately 6,000 ft (1,829 m) on the south face of Mount Etna.

Photo Details: Nikon d800e camera; 24.0-70.0 mm lens f/2.8; 70mm (35mm equivalent) focal length: 70mm); f/10.0 aperture; 0.0040 sec. (1/250) exposure time; ISO 200; Software - Adobe Photoshop, CS6 Macintosh. Adobe Camera Raw used to tweak the raw-format image, adjusting the contrast to bring out the color. 

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