A long-inactive volcano in northern Ethiopia unexpectedly erupted on Sunday, sending up plumes of volcanic ash and dust, which have since spread across continents and disrupted flights in India and the United Arab Emirates.
No casualties were reported in Ethiopia following the eruption, but local government officials told reporters they are concerned about the impact of the eruption on local communities and their livestock in the Afar region, where the volcano is located.
Ethiopia has 50 known volcanoes, according to the Smithsonian, several of which have been dormant for thousands of years.
The Ethiopian Rift Valley, where many of the volcanoes are located, extends from Afar southwards through neighbouring countries. It was formed by shifting tectonic plates, which pulled apart to form the land masses of Africa and Arabia, and is one of the most important geological sites in the world.
Here’s what we know about Sunday’s volcanic eruption and its local and international impact:
What happened?
Hayli Gubbi, which forms part of the Erta Ale volcano range in the northern Afar Region of Ethiopia, erupted at approximately 11:30am local time (08:30 GMT) according to an advisory issued by the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) in France.
Following the eruption, residents told reporters they had noticed faint smoke from the volcano about three days before. However, there were no reported scientific forecasts for the eruption.
The volcano has not previously erupted in the current Holocene Era, which began about 12,000 years ago at the end of the Ice Age, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program.
Satellite imagery shared on social media channels shows the eruption as viewed from space, with a mass of billowing ash shooting up and visibly spreading east towards the Red Sea. Footage captured from the ground also showed huge mountains of ash rising into the skies above the mountain range, blanketing the horizon.
VAAC reported that the massive waves of volcanic ash plumes emitted rose to about 45,000 metres (148,000 feet) in height at the time of the eruption, and that the ash moved primarily in a northwesterly direction.
How have local communities been affected?
Local media in Ethiopia have reported that plumes of ash blanketed the areas around the volcano, including hilly villages which are well-known tourist attraction sites. In the neighbouring village of Afdera, one resident told The Associated Press he had heard a loud sound as the eruption occurred.
“It felt like a sudden bomb had been thrown with smoke and ash,” Ahmed Abdela told The AP. He added that by Monday, the village was still covered in ash, and that tourists and guides heading to the nearby Danakil Desert were stranded.
Afar TV reported that vibrations and moderate tremors were felt in Ethiopia’s Wollo area, in the northern Tigray region, and as far away as in the neighbouring country of Djibouti.
In the immediate aftermath of the eruption, dark smoke, rather than white ash, enveloped the area, plunging it into near-darkness, residents said.
There are concerns about how the eruption has affected air quality in the nearby villages.
Local administrator Mohammed Seid also told The AP the eruption could have economic implications for the local community, where most are livestock herders and depend on forage – plants eaten by animals – for their livestock. Much of this is now covered with a thick layer of dust. “While no human lives and livestock have been lost so far, many villages have been covered in ash, and as a result, their animals have little to eat,” he said.
What do we know about the Hayli Gubbi volcano?
Hayli Gubbi, a shield volcano – named so because it has a low profile and resembles a shield when viewed from above – is located about 800km (500 miles) northeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city.
Hayli Gubbi, which rises to 500 metres (1,640 feet), is the southernmost volcano of the Erta Ale Range, a chain of low-lying shield volcanoes in the Afar region. It has had no known eruptions for 12,000 years.
Erta Ale volcano, one of Ethiopia’s most active, is also located within this range, which itself is set in the Rift Valley. Erta Ale, whose name means “smoking mountain” in Afar, last overflowed with lava in January 2023, according to The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program.
Where has the ash travelled and how have flights been affected?
Clouds of ash have travelled across the Red Sea, first over Yemen and Oman, and then on to Pakistan and India, according to monitoring website Flightradar24.
Volcanic ash clouds contain abrasive particles which can enter and damage aircraft engines, contaminate airfields, and reduce visibility, making flying hazardous.
The eruption has, therefore, caused widespread travel disruption in neighbouring countries and continents, although there are so far no reports of flight delays in Ethiopia, which is one of Africa’s biggest flight hubs.
