What is special about Erta Ale?

It is famed for its persistent lava lake which has been active during most of the past decades since it was first discovered in the 1960s. Erta Ale is only 613 m high, but as typical for a shield volcano has a very gentle slopes and a large 40 km diameter base.

Is Erta Ale explosive or non explosive?

The summit crater at Erta Ale in 1994 Location: The Afar region of Ethiopia. There is also evidence of more explosive eruptions (VEI 2) in the last 150 years from Erta Ale, but its remote location makes accurate records sparse.

What caused Erta Ale?

Erta Ale is centered over the East African Rift system, which is a triple junction setting whose movements are resulting in the formation of a pull-apart basin or rift. The volcano comprises mainly mafic material which has been brought up to the surface caused by unroofing of the mantle due to this rift formation.

What type of volcano is Mt Erta Ale?

basaltic shield volcano
“Erta’Ale is a basaltic shield volcano, 500 m high, with a base 50 km across.

Why is the area around Erta Ale is dark in Colour?

Beneath the ground surrounding Erta Ale is an enormous pool of active magma. The lake goes through cycles and will cool, form a black layer on top, and then suddenly convect back into liquid lava.

Is Erta Ale a hotspot?

Erta Ale, also is part of a chain of active volcanoes located in the center of one of the six Afar rifts where an open ocean has formed in connection with a hot spot (inner Earth volcanism). Erta Ale is a very isolated basaltic shield volcano and most active volcano in Ethiopia.

How many active volcanoes are there in Ethiopia?

About 50 volcanic edifices in Ethiopia have documented activity during the Holocene.

What is the closest city to Erta Ale?

Asmara
Ethiopia and Erta Ale The closest city, Asmara, is only 160 miles away and is the capital city of Eritea, a bordering nation to Ethipia with a population of 563,930. Notice the divergent plate boundary and how close it is to the volcano, which is at a longitude of 13.6 North and 40.67 East.

Is Kilimanjaro a volcano?

Kilimanjaro has three volcanic cones, Mawenzi, Shira and Kibo. Mawenzi and Shira are extinct but Kibo, the highest peak, is dormant and could erupt again. The most recent activity was about 200 years ago; the last major eruption was 360,000 years ago. 8.

Is there any volcano in Africa?

Nyamuragira is Africa’s and one of the world’s most active volcano. It erupts roughly every two years, producing large fluid lava flows. Nyamuragira is is a massive high-potassium basaltic shield volcano located about 25 km north of Lake Kivu in the East African Rift Valley NW of Nyiragongo volcano.

What was found on Mount Kilimanjaro?

In 1926, a Lutheran pastor named Richard Reusch, who made multiple climbs up Kilimanjaro, did indeed discover a “freeze-dried” leopard at roughly 18,500 feet along the crater rim of the volcano’s loftiest sub-peak, Kibo.

How tall is the volcano of Erta Ale?

Erta Ale is 613 metres (2,011 ft) high, with one or sometimes two active lava lakes at the summit which occasionally overflow on the south side of the volcano. It is notable for holding the longest-existing lava lake , present since the early years of the twentieth century (1906).

Where does the name Erta Ale come from?

Erta Ale means “smoking mountain” in the local Afar language and its southernmost pit is known locally as “the gateway to Hell”.

Do You need A Guide to go to Erta Ale?

One travel guide recommends hiring “one or maybe two armed guards or police” as guides to visit Erta Ale. Commercial tour companies offer tours to Erta Ale which are generally accompanied by military escort.

Are there any thermal anomalies at Erta Ale?

A total of four low-power thermal anomalies were recorded at Erta Ale during October through most of November 2020. Beginning in late November into early December a strong but brief surge of thermal activity was detected according to the MIROVA system (Log Radiative Power).