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Dubbi Volcano | John Seach
Eritrea
13.58 N, 41.80 E
summit elevation 1625 m
stratovolcano
Dubbi volcano is located in Danakil Alps between the Danakil depression and Red Sea. The volcano is associated with a volcanic alignment that extends southwestward from the Red Sea spreading axis to the southern tip of the Tat Ali axial volcanic range.
There are about 20 cinder cones at the summit.
1861 Eruption
An eruption in 1861 deposited ash 300 km from the volcano, and was
the only explosive eruption in Afar in historical times. A
description of the 1861 eruption was
provided by Captain R. L. Playfair, the British Resident at Aden:
"On the night of the 7th or the morning of the 8th of May, the
people of Edd were awakened by the shock of an earthquake followed
by others which continued with little intermission for about an
hour. At sunrise, a quantity of fine white dust fell over the
village. . . . About noon, the character of this dust . .
.resembled red earth. Shortly afterwards, it increased to such an
extent that the air was perfectly darkened and we had to light
lamps in our houses. It was darker than the darkest night, and the
whole place was covered with dust, nearly knee-deep. At night [on
May 9], we saw fire and dense smoke issuing from a mountain called
Djebel Dubbeh."
1400 Eruption
In 1400 lava flowed to the Red Sea.
Further reading
Wiart, P. and Oppenheimer, C., 2000. Largest known historical eruption in Africa: Dubbi volcano, Eritrea, 1861. Geology, 28(4), pp.291-294.
Wiart, P.A.M., Oppenheimer, C. and Francis, P., 2000. Eruptive history of Dubbi volcano, northeast Afar (Eritrea), revealed by optical and SAR image interpretation. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 21(5), pp.911-936.
Dubbi Volcano Eruptions
1861, 1400
Uncertain eruptions in 1900 and 1863.