The Hayli Gubbi volcano in northeastern Ethiopia erupted Sunday for the first time in about 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s World Volcanism Program.
The volcano is located in the Afar region, approximately 800 kilometers northeast of the capital Addis Ababa, near the border with Eritrea, reports
It is located in the Rift Valley, an area affected by strong geological disturbances, as it is located at the intersection of two tectonic plates and is characterized by intense volcanic activity.
The Smithsonian Institution’s World Volcanism Program said it is not aware of any eruptions at Hayli Gubbi during the Holocene, a period that began about 12,000 years ago, after the end of the last ice age.
Simon Carn, a volcanologist and professor at the University of Michigan, confirmed to Bluesky that Hayli Gubbi “did not erupt during the Holocene.”
According to the Volcanic Ash Observation Center of Toulouse (VAAC), Hayli Gubbi, with an altitude of 500 meters, erupted on Sunday, releasing dense columns of smoke that reached a height of 14 kilometers.
The phenomenon lasted for several hours and ended on Sunday.
The ash cloud flew over Yemen, Oman, India as well as northern Pakistan, according to VAAC.
According to images circulated on social media, which AFP could not verify, a thick column of white smoke rose from the eruption.
Authorities have not reported any human toll, but the volcano is located in an isolated, sparsely populated area.
Asked about a possible number of displaced people, the Afar authorities have not yet responded to AFP’s requests.
