Volcano in Ethiopia
Alayta volcano: eruption status today
Updated
No eruption of Alayta is being reported right now Last eruption: 1900–1963; last significant eruption 1907 (NOAA NCEI).
Live status of Alayta: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.
- Status now
- No open report
- Last eruption
- 1900–1963 last significant: 1907
- Elevation
- 1,496 m 4,908 ft
- Type
- Shield volcano
- Earthquakes within 50 km
- 0 past 30 days (USGS)
- Hot spots within 10 km
- 0 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
- Nearest city
- Mek'ele 137 km WNW
Is Alayta erupting right now?
There is no open NASA EONET event for Alayta right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to 1900–1963, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 1907. Volcano observatories can raise alert levels before an eruption starts, so check the national observatory for the current alert level.
No satellite thermal hot spot was detected within 10 km of the summit in the latest NASA FIRMS data, so there is no sign of lava at the surface large enough for VIIRS to see (clouds can hide it).
Earthquakes near Alayta
USGS has no earthquake within 50 km of Alayta in the past 30 days. Outside the United States USGS mainly lists quakes above about M4, so small volcanic tremors recorded by the local observatory will not appear here.
About Alayta
Alayta is a shield volcano in Africa-NE, Ethiopia, rising to 1,496 m (4,908 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".
Shield volcanoes have broad, gentle slopes built by fluid lava flows; eruptions are usually effusive (lava fountains and flows) rather than explosive.
The nearest large town is Mek'ele, about 137 km WNW of the summit; 4 other cities lie within 250 km.
- Mek'ele (137 km) earthquakes nearby
- Weldiya (159 km)
- Ādīgrat (196 km)
- Kombolcha (220 km)
- Dessie (220 km)
Flights and volcanic ash
No major hub airport is within 400 km (the closest is Addis Ababa Bole, 476 km away), but ash clouds from explosive eruptions can drift for thousands of kilometres along flight routes.
Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) issue the official ash advisories that airlines and air traffic control follow.
Other volcanoes in Ethiopia
Ethiopia has 6 volcanoes on this site that erupted since 1900 or are active now. The closest other one is Hayli Gubbi, 71 km away.
Nearby volcanoes
Volcanoes in Ethiopia
More
Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.