Ethiopia’s Hayli Gube Volcano Erupts After 12,000 Years of Dormancy

The Hayli Gube volcano in Ethiopia’s northeastern Afar region erupted on Sunday after lying dormant for nearly 12,000 years. The eruption lasted several hours, sending a massive plume of ash and smoke rising up to 14 kilometers into the sky.

The Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) reported that ash clouds drifted across Yemen and Oman, reaching as far as northern India and Pakistan.

Located about 800 kilometers from Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, the volcano sits roughly 500 meters above sea level within the Rift Valley a zone where tectonic plates meet, making earthquakes and volcanic activity more frequent. Videos circulating on social media showed towering white plumes of smoke billowing into the atmosphere.

The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program confirmed that Hayli Gube had no recorded eruptions during the Holocene epoch, spanning the last 12,000 years. Volcanologist Professor Simon Carn of Michigan Technological University also verified that the volcano had remained inactive for millennia until this sudden event.