Ethiopia · Shield volcano
Erta Ale
- Type
- Shield volcano
- Elevation
- 585m
- Last eruption
- 2025
- Type
- Shield volcano
- Country
- Ethiopia
- Region
- Eastern Africa / 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.
Excerpt from the Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution · Read the full summary on GVP →
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
7 recordedGlossaryRecord summary
- Confirmed eruptions
- 4
- Uncertain eruptions
- 3
- Span of confirmed record
- 1906 – 2025
- Largest confirmed eruption
- VEI 0 (1967, the most recent of 4)
- Confirmed eruptions since 1900
- 4
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
Detailed timeline
- 1967VEI 0Observed1967-07-02 – 2025-08-07
- 1960VEI 0Observed1960-01-16 – end unknown
- 1940VEI 0Observed1940-07-02 – end unknown
- 1906VEI 0Observed1906-05-16 – end unknown
- 1904VEI 2Method not stated1904-11-01 – end unknown
- 1903VEI 2Method not stated1903-07-02 – end unknown
- 1873VEI 2Method not stated1873-07-02 – end unknown
Nearby volcanoes
External links
⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.