This specific volcano, however, holds the record for longest continuous eruptions. “Etna is a series of interlocking stratovolcanoes with four distinct summit craters. There are two central craters, called Bocca Nuova and Voragine; the Northeast crater; and the more recent Southeast crater, formed by an eruption in 1978." The reason tectonic plates are so important is that they are responsible for the formation of most mountains. The African tectonic plate is major for Africa because it extends across the entire continent, straddling the equator as the principal meridian. It also extends over an oceanic crust that "lies between the continent and various surrounding ocean ridges." The African plate is actually connected to 6 other major plates, but Etna is located to the north, on the Eurasian border.