Volcanic plume hovers over Lake Michigan, but how did it get there?

Satellites caught sight of a “narrow ribbon of hazy airborne aerosols” over the Great Lakes this week, grabbing the attention of researchers.

“This is pretty incredible,” Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) staff said in a Facebook post. “Volcanic plumes over Lake Michigan!”

The GOES (geostationary) East satellite captured images of the plumes late Wednesday, according to CIMSS. Researchers believe the volcanic debris drifted all the way to the U.S. from Italy, after the late-February eruption of Mt. Etna.

“Now that’s a rare event,” the post said.

Sulfur dioxide clouds have also been detected over Canada and the North Pacific, CIMSS said.

Rising up out of the island of Sicily, Mt. Etna is the most active volcano in Europe.

Beginning with an eruption on Feb. 16, the volcano has erupted seven times in two weeks, spewing magma, gas and soot, EuroNews reported Wednesday.

This story was originally published March 4, 2021 at 9:09 PM with the headline "Volcanic plume hovers over Lake Michigan, but how did it get there?."