Volcano Live
volcanolive.com
Erta Ale Volcano - John Seach
Afar Depression, Ethiopia
13.60 N, 40.67 E,
summit elevation 613 m
Shield Volcano
Erta Ale is a desert shield volcano. The name refers to a volcano as well as a mountain range. The base of the volcano is 75 m below sea level in the desert. Erta Ale volcano has an active lava lake which may have been present for as long as 80 years.
Records of the volcano date to the 1600's, but a lava lake was only identified in 1960's. The Afar language calls it "smoking mountain" which indicates it has been active for a long time. The Afar region is the only place on earth where a tectonic triple junction is located above sea level (Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and African Rift Valley).
Erta Ale volcano can be considered equivalent to submarine spreading ridges. The Erta Ale Range is 95 km long and 50 km wide. Erta Ale volcano has feature similar to the Hawaiian volcanoes of Kilauea and Mauna Loa. The caldera is 1.6 km x 0.7 km in diameter and two pit craters are often filled by lava lakes.
Satellite images show hotspots in January 2008, indicating continuing eruptive activity.
Erta Ale Volcano Eruptions
1967-2008, 1960, 1940, 1906, 1904?, 1903?, 1873?