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Corbetti

Caldera · Ethiopia · 2289m

Chebbi volcano, rising to the N across Awasa lake, is a large obsidian dome constructed on the SE rim of the 15-km-wide Corbetti caldera, which itself lies within the NW side of the larger Awasa caldera. Lava flows extend into the caldera itself; the southern rim forms the low saddle to the left. The age of the latest eruption of Corbetti is not known, although fumarolic activity continues.
Chebbi volcano, rising to the N across Awasa lake, is a large obsidian dome constructed on the SE rim of the 15-km-wide Corbetti caldera, which itself lies within the NW side of the larger Awasa caldera. Lava flows extend into the caldera itself; the southern rim forms the low saddle to the left. The age of the latest eruption of Corbetti is not known, although fumarolic activity continues. · Photo: Photo by Giday Wolde-Gabriel (Los Alamos National Laboratory). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Caldera
Country
Ethiopia
Region
Eastern Africa Volcanic Regions / Main Ethiopian Rift Volcanic Province
Elevation
2289m
Coordinates
7.193, 38.390
Last eruption
-396
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Caldera
Major rock type
Rhyolite
Geological summary

Corbetti is is one of the largest calderas (15.6 x 10.9 km) within the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). As summarized by Colby et al. (2022), it has followed an evolutionary pattern similar to other caldera volcanoes within the MER, beginning with a shield-building phase of peralkaline rhyolite lava flows, followed by at least one caldera-forming eruption, the inferred deposits of which are dated to ca. 182 ± 28 ka (Hutchison et al., 2016). Subsequent volcanism focused around three post-caldera edifices (Artu, Urji, and Chabbi) and a rhyolitic cone (Biftu Tuff Cone), situated outside the south-eastern caldera wall.... The eroded remains of Artu cone partly cover the northeastern section of the caldera, and younger products from Chabbi shield entirely cover the eastern portion of the caldera wall." The Wendo Koshe Younger Pumice (WKYP) has been 14C dated by Rapprich et al. (2016) to around 396 BCE; stratigraphic correlations indicate more recent eruptions, including four obsidian lava flows (Rapprich et al., 2016) and possibly two smaller explosive eruptions (Colby et al., 2022). Additional undated deposits are present between the WKYP event and the formation of the Biftu Tuff Cone after 5425 BCE (Colby et al., 2022).

From Wikipedia

The Corbetti Caldera is an actively deforming volcano in the Main Ethiopian Rift. It is the site of the Corbetti Geothermal Power Station. The Corbetti Caldera is 15 km (9.3 mi) across and overlaps an older (pleistocene), 30 by 40 km caldera called Awasa, which is considered the same volcanic system. The Corbetti Caldera contains the central cone called Urji and a large obsidian dome called Chebbi. The Awasa Caldera contains Lake Hawassa and the town of Awasa, the Corbetti caldera contains half of the Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary.

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Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
5425 BCE~5232 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?589 BCE~396 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 55425 BCE4264 BCE2910 BCE1750 BCE589 BCE

Detailed timeline

  1. 396 BCE (±38 yrs)VEI 5Geological estimate
    BCE 396 – Ongoing
  2. 5425 BCE (±54 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 5425 – Ongoing

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.