Violent lava overflow at Erta Ale volcano forms temporary lava lake, Ethiopia

A significant lava overflow occurred at Erta Ale’s summit vent on October 29, 2024, resulting in the formation of a temporary lava lake and high lava spattering.

A significant lava overflow occurred at Erta Ale’s summit vent on October 30, resulting in a rapid discharge of molten lava, presumably from the North Pit Crater.

This episode created a temporary lava lake within the crater and produced towering, bright lava spatter.

The overflow and spattering were documented by the VolcanoDiscovery team on-site.

Erta Ale is located in Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression. This lonely volcanic region is home to one of the world’s few continuously active lava lakes, a unique geological phenomenon.

It is a low-lying shield volcano with a height of 613 m (2 011 feet), which has a broad, gently sloping base that is around 50 km (31 miles) wide, as is typical of shield volcanoes.

The magma flow supports a near-continuous lava lake, which has been active at least since the 1960s and possibly as far back as 1906.

Erta Ale’s lava lake and summit caldera host several pit craters within a 1.6 x 0.7 km (0.9 x 0.4 miles) depression.

This unique geological structure also includes a larger, elongated 3.1 x 1.8 km (1.9 x 1.1 miles) depression to the southeast, shaped by curving fault scarps.

Lava from recent fissure eruptions on Erta Ale’s north flank often flows into and sometimes overflows from the summit caldera.

References:

¹ Erta Ale volcano (Ethiopia): violent lava overflow episode from summit vent – Volcano Discovery – October 30, 2024

² Geological summary for Erta Ale – GVP – Accessed November 1, 2024

Featured image: Lava overflow Erta Ale volcano’s summit vent, Ethiopia on October 29, 2024. Credit: VolcanoDiscovery

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