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Mount Alayta

Alayta

Shield volcano · Ethiopia · 1496m

Alayta shield volcano (left-center) covers an area of 2,700 km2 in the western Danakil depression. A series of recent craters is aligned along the NNW-trending axis. The Alayta lava field (center dark area) was erupted from N-S-trending fissures along the E side of the volcano and reaches the W flank of Afderà volcano, immediately S of Lake Guilietti (Lake Afrera) at the upper right-center.
Alayta shield volcano (left-center) covers an area of 2,700 km2 in the western Danakil depression. A series of recent craters is aligned along the NNW-trending axis. The Alayta lava field (center dark area) was erupted from N-S-trending fissures along the E side of the volcano and reaches the W flank of Afderà volcano, immediately S of Lake Guilietti (Lake Afrera) at the upper right-center. · Photo: NASA Landsat image, 1999 (courtesy of Hawaii Synergy Project, Univ. of Hawaii Institute of Geophysics & Planetology). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Shield volcano
Country
Ethiopia
Region
Eastern Africa Volcanic Regions / Afar Rift Volcanic Province
Elevation
1496m
Coordinates
12.888, 40.573
Last eruption
1915
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Intermediate crust (15-25 km)
Landform
Shield
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Geological summary

The massive Alayta shield volcano covers an area of 2700 km2 in the western Danakil depression SW of Lake Afrera. A series of very recent craters is aligned along the NNW-trending axis of the basaltic-to-trachytic shield. The lava field, covered by very fresh flows, was erupted from N-S fissures along the east side of the shield volcano and laps up against the western flank of Afderà volcano. Two historical eruptions that were formerly attributed to Afderà actually originated from Alayta. One of those eruptions, in 1907, produced a large lava flow from a SE-flank vent. Fumarolic activity occurs at two locations in the southern part of the complex.

From Wikipedia

Mount Alayta is an active shield volcano in the Afar Region of Ethiopia. It is part of the Afar Triangle, a highly active volcanic region which includes the adjacent Mount Afdera. Mount Alayta covers an area of 2,700 square kilometers southwest of Lake Afrera. A chain of younger craters are aligned along a north-northwest axis in the basaltic-to-trachytic shield along the east side of the shield volcano, which extends to the western flank of Mount Afdera. The Alayta Lavafeld was formed from a series of north-south fissures. In two areas on the southern side of the volcanic complex, fumaroles can be observed.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
1907~1908 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21914~1915 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 219071909191119131914

Detailed timeline

  1. 1915VEI 2Observed
    1915 – Ongoing
  2. 1907VEI 2Observed
    1907-06 – 1907-08-04
    SE flank

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.