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Erta Ale

Shield volcano · Ethiopia · 585m

The summit of Erta Ale contains a 0.7 x 1.6 km elliptical caldera containing pit craters. A plume rises from the N pit at the left, and a lava lake was active in the center pit crater at the time of this February 2002 view from the S. It is an isolated basaltic shield volcano that is the most active volcano in Ethiopia. Recent basaltic lava flows fill much of the caldera and have overflowed its rim on the southern side. One, or sometimes two, long-term lava lakes have been active since at least 1967.
The summit of Erta Ale contains a 0.7 x 1.6 km elliptical caldera containing pit craters. A plume rises from the N pit at the left, and a lava lake was active in the center pit crater at the time of this February 2002 view from the S. It is an isolated basaltic shield volcano that is the most active volcano in Ethiopia. Recent basaltic lava flows fill much of the caldera and have overflowed its rim on the southern side. One, or sometimes two, long-term lava lakes have been active since at least 1967. · Photo: Photo by Jürg Alean, 2002 (Kantonsschule Zürcher Unterland, Bülach, Switzerland). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Shield volcano
Country
Ethiopia
Region
Eastern Africa Volcanic Regions / Afar Rift Volcanic Province
Elevation
585m
Coordinates
13.601, 40.666
Last eruption
2025
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Intermediate crust (15-25 km)
Landform
Shield
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Geological summary

The Erta Ale basaltic shield volcano in Ethiopia has a 50-km-wide edifice that rises more than 600 m from below sea level in the Danakil depression. The volcano includes a 0.7 x 1.6 km summit crater hosting steep-sided pit craters. Another larger 1.8 x 3.1 km wide depression elongated parallel to the trend of the Erta Ale range is located SE of the summit and is bounded by curvilinear fault scarps on the SE side. Basaltic lava flows from these fissures have poured into the caldera and locally overflowed its rim. The summit caldera usually also holds at least one long-term lava lake that has been active since at least 1967, and possibly since 1906. Recent fissure eruptions have occurred on the N flank.

From Wikipedia

Erta Ale is a continuously active shield volcano in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia, which is itself part of the wider Afar Triangle. The volcano is located in the Danakil Depression, an area on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea that is below sea level. It is composed of basalt, and it is the most active of the volcanoes in Ethiopia.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
1873~1882 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21901~1911 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 21939~1948 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 01958~1967 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 018731892192019391958

Detailed timeline

  1. 1967VEI 0Observed
    1967-07-02 – 2025-08-07
  2. 1960VEI 0Observed
    1960-01-16 – Ongoing
  3. 1940VEI 0Observed
    1940 – Ongoing
  4. 1906VEI 0Observed
    1906-05 – Ongoing
  5. 1904VEI 2Geological estimate
    1904-11-01 – Ongoing
  6. 1903VEI 2Geological estimate
    1903 – Ongoing
  7. 1873VEI 2Geological estimate
    1873 – Ongoing

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.