Satellite pictures show the scale of Ethiopia’s sudden volcanic eruption
Ethiopia’s long-dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted into life this week after roughly 10,000 years of inactivity. It left a trail of destruction in nearby villages and caused flight cancellations after ash plumes disrupted high-altitude flight paths. The villages in the district of Afdera in the Afar region were covered in ash, where residents were left coughing and livestock food and water were compromised, officials say. Since Tuesday, the volcano has subsided, while the dramatic event was captured in space. (Picture: AP)
The eruption has alerted experts as it highlights how long-dormant volcanoes can suddenly awaken. Since the Afar Right, which is home to the Hayli Gubbi, is one of East Africa’s most geologically active regions, real-time monitoring is essential. The satellite imagery allows researchers to track the eruption’s scale and trajectory, which can reveal more about the volcanic region in the area. (Picture: Nasa Worldview)
What happened?
Hayli Gubbi erupted at around 8:30am UTC on Sunday, according to the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC). Explosive activity continued through the morning and early afternoon, sending ash plumes as high as 45,000 feet (13.7 kilometers). However, the VAAC has reported that the explosive phase of the eruption has stopped. According to Volcano Discovery, a field report revealed that in the explosion massive volcanic blocks, some estimated at 100kgs, were thrown more than 50 meters from the crater, while medium to smaller projectiles scattered beyond that, and a thick carpet of ash and dust extended across a wide radius. The fresh ash was dark-brownish in colour. (Picture: Nasa Worldview)
Researchers say this is the first time Hayli Gubbi is known to have erupted in the Holocene, which is a geological epoch that began at the end of the last ice age around 11,700 years ago and usually, if a volcano hasn’t erupted in the Holocene, it is considered extinct. Hayli Gubbi is the southernmost volcano in the Erta Ale Range, a chain of volcanoes in the Afar region. (Picture: Nasa Worldview)
The range makes up the East African Rift System, where a tectonic plate that stretches most of Africa is splitting in two. And, although Hayli Gubbi was dormant for millennia, the Erta Ale volcano from which the range takes its name has been continuously active since at least 1967. In July, it erupted in a shower of ash. At the same time, satellite data revealed ground movement showing an intrusion of magma from Erta Ale had pushed more than 18 miles below the surface, under Hayli Gubbi. (Picture: Worldview via AP)
The European Space Agency mapped out the trajectory of the Hayli Gubbi eruption using the Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite, showcasing the day of the eruption and the following day. They wrote: ‘The first (pictured) shows the plume of sulphur dioxide billowing from the volcano at the time of the eruption or shortly after. Here, the plume is starting to drift eastward over parts of the southwestern Arabian Peninsula.’ (Picture: ESA)
‘The second image (pictured), captured on November 24, shows how the plume dispersed north-eastward along the coasts of Yemen, Oman and the Arabian Sea.’ No casualties have been reported, but one local official expressed concern over the impacts of the eruption on farmers and livestock in the region. Speaking to the Associated Press, Mohammed Seid, a local administrator, said: ‘While no human lives and livestock have been lost so far, many villages have been covered in ash and as a result their animals have little to eat.’ (Picture:ESA) Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
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