DOJO – A long-silent volcano in northern Ethiopia has erupted for the first time in roughly 12,000 years, blasting ash nearly 14km (45,000 feet) into the sky and spreading debris across Eastern Africa and parts of the Middle East. The unexpected eruption of Hayli Gubbi, located in the Afar region, left nearby villages coated in thick ash but caused no reported casualties.
What happened?
Residents in the remote Afar region reported a sudden explosion around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, describing the eruption as feeling “like a bomb had been thrown.”
The blast covered the village of Afdera in ash, forcing travelers heading toward the Danakil desert to halt their journey.
The Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre confirmed that ash clouds drifted beyond Ethiopia, reaching Yemen, Oman, northern Pakistan, and parts of India, raising concerns for aviation.
Local administrator Mohammed Seid said the ash has created hardship for livestock herders.
“While no lives have been lost, many animals now have nothing to eat,” he noted.
Why is this eruption historic?
Hayli Gubbi sits in a harsh, rarely studied region where few scientific surveys have been conducted. The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program previously recorded no eruptions during the Holocene — the geological epoch that began after the last Ice Age.
That means this weekend’s eruption is likely the first major activity in more than 12,000 years.
Volcanologists say this event may also reveal previously unnoticed eruptions. Recent satellite data hinted that the volcano had been swelling, and experts now believe Hayli Gubbi may have had small, undetected activity in recent centuries.
Understanding dormant vs. active volcanoes
Volcanoes are classified in three ways:
- Active: erupting or showing signs of unrest
- Dormant: “sleeping” but capable of erupting again
- Extinct: will never erupt again
Hayli Gubbi was long considered dormant, not extinct — and this eruption proves why.
As long as magma can reach the surface, even a volcano quiet for 10,000+ years can suddenly roar back to life.
For comparison:
- Mount Kilimanjaro is dormant (last erupted 360,000 years ago).
- Mount Kenya is extinct (last erupted over 2 million years ago).
Why does this region erupt?
Hayli Gubbi sits on the East African Rift, one of the most geologically active places on Earth. Here, three tectonic plates — the Arabian, Nubian, and Somali plates — are slowly pulling apart.
When the Earth’s crust stretches, it thins, allowing hot mantle rock to melt into magma.
The result:
- frequent volcanic activity,
- earthquakes,
- and eruptions capable of reshaping landscapes.
Ethiopia alone has around 50 Holocene-active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s hotspots for volcanic hazards.
The science behind the blast
This eruption is unusual because Hayli Gubbi is a shield volcano, similar to Hawaii’s Mauna Loa. Shield volcanoes usually produce flowing lava, not giant ash plumes.
Scientists believe a powerful build-up of pressure deep underground forced the volcano to erupt explosively instead of oozing lava.
Satellite images from earlier this year detected ground movement more than 18 miles beneath the surface, showing that magma from nearby Erta Ale may have intruded beneath Hayli Gubbi.
Researchers on the ground have begun collecting ash samples to determine what type of magma caused this rare event.
What’s next?
Although the eruption poses little immediate danger due to the area’s low population, the ashfall will continue to threaten livestock, grazing lands, and travel routes.
Scientists believe the East African Rift may see more eruptions in the coming decades as the region slowly continues to split apart — a process that could one day form a new ocean between Ethiopia and the Arabian Peninsula.
