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Ardoukôba

Photo of this volcano
  • Country
  • Primary Volcano Type
  • Last Known Eruption
  •  
  • 11.58°N
  • 42.47°E

  • 298 m
    978 ft

  • 221126
  • Latitude
  • Longitude

  • Summit
    Elevation

  • Volcano
    Number

Most Recent Bulletin Report: December 1978 (SEAN 03:12) Citation IconCite this Report

New data on November eruption

The eruption of Ardoukoba began on 7 November. During the preceding 24 hours, about 800 earthquakes M < 3.3 had been recorded. These events occurred at the end of the Ghoubbat al Kharab (figure 2), just S of the rift and ~6 km SE of the eruption site.

Figure (see Caption) Figure 2. Rock types, faults, and old volcanic cones in the Ardoukoba Rift, after Needham and others (1976). An overprint, from M. Krafft, shows the active vents and lava flows from the 7-14 November 1978 eruption and the zone of active faulting accompanying the eruption.

After a brief period of gas emission, lava fountaining began from a 500-m-long, newly opened fissure. Three spatter cones formed on this fissure, but the primary activity soon shifted about 1/2 km to the SE. For the first 2-4 hours as much as 0.5 x 106 m3 of lava was extruded per hour, but the extrusion rate declined rapidly and by the 5th or 6th day had decreased by an order of magnitude.

By 9 November, only the main vent was still active. A cone (named Gira-le-Koma) about 30 m high, 200 m long, and 25 m wide, with a 60° external slope, had formed around this vent, which contained a small lava lake. On 13 November the level of the lava lake dropped rapidly, then the lake disappeared. Scoria and bombs were ejected briefly before the eruption ended on 14 November.

The total volume of lava emitted was estimated to be at least 12 x 106 m3. Lava covered an area of slightly more than 3 km2. Flow thicknesses reached 25 m but usually ranged from 1 to 2 m. About 25 fissures, parallel to the NW-SE trend of the rift, opened during the activity. Most fissures were from 1-2 mm to about 1 m wide, but there was one short segment of 3 m width. Many of the fissures also showed a component of normal movement, with scarps up to 1/2 m high.

Reference. Needham and others, 1976, The accreting plate boundary: Ardoukoba Rift (northeast Africa) and the oceanic rift system: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 28, p 439-453.

Further References. Abdallah, A., and others, 1979, Relevance of Afar seismicity and volcanism to the mechanics of accreting plate boundaries: Nature, v. 282, p. 17-23.

Demange, J., and Tazieff, H., 1978, The "tectonic" eruption of the Ardoukoba (Djibouti): C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. D, v. 287, p. 1269-1272.

Hernandez, J., and Ruegg, J.C., eds., 1980, Colloque Rift d'Asal: Réunion extraordinaire de la Société Géologique de France: Bulletin de la Societé Géologique de France, serie 7, t. XXII, no. 6, p. 797-1013.

Tarantola, A., Ruegg, J.C., and Lepine, J.C., 1979, Geodetic evidence for rifting in Afar: A brittle-elastic model for the behavior of the lithosphere: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 45, p. 435-444.

Information Contacts: M. Krafft, Cernay.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Ardoukôba.

Bulletin Reports - Index

Reports are organized chronologically and indexed below by Month/Year (Publication Volume:Number), and include a one-line summary. Click on the index link or scroll down to read the reports.

11/1978 (SEAN 03:11) Basaltic lava flows; first eruption in as much as 3,000 years

12/1978 (SEAN 03:12) New data on November eruption




Information is preliminary and subject to change. All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


November 1978 (SEAN 03:11) Citation IconCite this Report

Basaltic lava flows; first eruption in as much as 3,000 years

The crew of a French observation aircraft saw an eruption early 8 November in a virtually uninhabited area SE of Lake Assal. On the preceding day a series of weak earthquakes was felt in the city of Djibouti and two larger shallow events were located by the U. S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center (USGS/NEIC). The first, mb 5.2, occurred on 7 November at 2006 (felt as a sharp shock in Djibouti) and the second, mb 5.0, on 8 November at 0808. Hypocenters calculated by the USGS for these events are 8 and 17 km WSW of the eruption, or well within the location error for events in this region.

Two basaltic lava flows were reportedly extruded: one flow traveled ~1 km to the SE, the other ~0.5 km to the NW. Lava effusion rates reached an estimated maximum of 1,000 m3/minute [but see 0.5 x 106 m3/hour below]. Ash clouds rose ~300 m and larger pyroclastics ~70 m. The eruption formed a crater ~30 m in diameter and built a cone ~100 m high.

Activity began to decline 14 November and within two days only steaming was visible. As of 22 November, some vapor emission continued from subsidiary vents. No casualties or damage were reported.

The Ardoukoba (Asal) Rift in Djibouti (figure 1), trending NW from the Red Sea, contains a broad area of youthful fissure vents between Lake Asal and the Ghoubbat al Kharab gulf. Although no previous eruptions have been reported in the area in historic time, the most recent lava flows are substantially younger than sediments 14C dated at 5,300 B.P., and are thought to be younger than 3,000 B.P. Eruptions are also mentioned in local legends (Delibrias and others, 1975).

Figure (see Caption) Figure 1. Map of the Ardoukoba Rift area (left), indicated by index map (right), showing rock types and volcanic centers. Latitudes and longitudes were added by SEAN and are approximate. Both maps after Delibrias and others (1975).

Reference. Delibrias, G., Marinelli, G., and Stieltjes, L., 1975, Spreading rate of the Asal Rift, in Pilger, A. and Rosler, A. (eds.), Afar Depression of Ethiopia: Inter-Union Commission on Geodynamics Scientific Report No. 14: E. Schweitzerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart.

Information Contacts: W. Clarke, U.S. Embassy, Djibouti; M. Krafft, Cernay, France; USGS/NEIC.


December 1978 (SEAN 03:12) Citation IconCite this Report

New data on November eruption

The eruption of Ardoukoba began on 7 November. During the preceding 24 hours, about 800 earthquakes M < 3.3 had been recorded. These events occurred at the end of the Ghoubbat al Kharab (figure 2), just S of the rift and ~6 km SE of the eruption site.

Figure (see Caption) Figure 2. Rock types, faults, and old volcanic cones in the Ardoukoba Rift, after Needham and others (1976). An overprint, from M. Krafft, shows the active vents and lava flows from the 7-14 November 1978 eruption and the zone of active faulting accompanying the eruption.

After a brief period of gas emission, lava fountaining began from a 500-m-long, newly opened fissure. Three spatter cones formed on this fissure, but the primary activity soon shifted about 1/2 km to the SE. For the first 2-4 hours as much as 0.5 x 106 m3 of lava was extruded per hour, but the extrusion rate declined rapidly and by the 5th or 6th day had decreased by an order of magnitude.

By 9 November, only the main vent was still active. A cone (named Gira-le-Koma) about 30 m high, 200 m long, and 25 m wide, with a 60° external slope, had formed around this vent, which contained a small lava lake. On 13 November the level of the lava lake dropped rapidly, then the lake disappeared. Scoria and bombs were ejected briefly before the eruption ended on 14 November.

The total volume of lava emitted was estimated to be at least 12 x 106 m3. Lava covered an area of slightly more than 3 km2. Flow thicknesses reached 25 m but usually ranged from 1 to 2 m. About 25 fissures, parallel to the NW-SE trend of the rift, opened during the activity. Most fissures were from 1-2 mm to about 1 m wide, but there was one short segment of 3 m width. Many of the fissures also showed a component of normal movement, with scarps up to 1/2 m high.

Reference. Needham and others, 1976, The accreting plate boundary: Ardoukoba Rift (northeast Africa) and the oceanic rift system: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 28, p 439-453.

Further References. Abdallah, A., and others, 1979, Relevance of Afar seismicity and volcanism to the mechanics of accreting plate boundaries: Nature, v. 282, p. 17-23.

Demange, J., and Tazieff, H., 1978, The "tectonic" eruption of the Ardoukoba (Djibouti): C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. D, v. 287, p. 1269-1272.

Hernandez, J., and Ruegg, J.C., eds., 1980, Colloque Rift d'Asal: Réunion extraordinaire de la Société Géologique de France: Bulletin de la Societé Géologique de France, serie 7, t. XXII, no. 6, p. 797-1013.

Tarantola, A., Ruegg, J.C., and Lepine, J.C., 1979, Geodetic evidence for rifting in Afar: A brittle-elastic model for the behavior of the lithosphere: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 45, p. 435-444.

Information Contacts: M. Krafft, Cernay.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 1 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

1978 Nov 7 - 1978 Nov 14 Confirmed Eruption Max VEI: 1

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode
1978 Nov 7 - 1978 Nov 14 Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 8 Events for Episode 1

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Seismicity (volcanic)
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion weak or small
   - - - -    - - - - Lava fountains
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow violent, strong, or large
   - - - -    - - - - Lava lake Small
   - - - -    - - - - Bombs
   - - - -    - - - - Scoria
1978 Nov 7    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)
Deformation History

There is data available for 2 deformation periods. Expand each entry for additional details.


Deformation during 1991 - 2003 [Horizontal; Observed by GPS]

Start Date: 1991 Stop Date: 2003 Direction: Horizontal Method: GPS
Magnitude: Unknown Spatial Extent: Unknown Latitude: Unknown Longitude: Unknown

Remarks: Horizontal velocities of the Asal rift from GPS measurements are slower than predicted by plate motion models, suggesting internal plate deformation.


Reference List: Vigny et al. 2007.

Full References:

Vigny, C., de Chabalier, J. B., Ruegg, J. C., Huchon, P., Feigl, K. L., Cattin, R., Asfaw, L., & Kanbari, K., 2007. Twenty-five years of geodetic measurements along the Tadjoura-Asal rift system, Djibouti, East Africa. J. Geophys. Res., 112, B06410. https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JB003230

Deformation during 1973 - 1978 [Variable (uplift / horizontal); Observed by Leveling]

Start Date: 1973 Stop Date: 1978 Direction: Variable (uplift / horizontal) Method: Leveling
Magnitude: 200.000 cm Spatial Extent: Unknown Latitude: Unknown Longitude: Unknown

Remarks: Horizontal extension and uplift is apparent in the Asal-Ghoubbet rifting episode of 1978.

Figure (see Caption)

Elevation changes along the levelling line between benchmarks 15 to 57. The top figure indicates the topographic location of the levelling line. The arrows denote the direction (up or down) and the magnitude of the movements. The central figure show the elevation changes projected on a profile A-B perpendicular to the rift axis. The terrain profile is shown at the bottom.

From: Ruegg et al. 1979.


Reference List: Ruegg et al. 1979.

Full References:

Ruegg, J. C., M. Kasser, J. C. Lépine, and A. Tarantola, 1979. Geodetic measurements of rifting associated with a seismo-volcanic crisis in Afar. Geophysical Research Letters, 6, 817-820. https://doi.org/10.1029/GL006i011p00817

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Ardoukôba.

Photo Gallery

The Ardoukôba (Asal) Rift in Djibouti, trending NW from the Red Sea, contains a broad area of youthful fissure vents between Lake Asal and the Ghoubbat al Kharab gulf. This view looks from the north towards the gulf. Regional faults of the Ardoukôba Rift trending NW-SE cut lava-flow fields. A cinder cone appears at the left, and a group of tuff cones lie at the upper right. The youngest lava flows cover lake sediments deposited 5300 years ago. An eruption in 1978 produced a small cinder cone and lava flows.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft, 1976.
The three tuff cones of Kodda Ginni Koma (foreground), Ounda Ginna Koma (the small island in the center), and Baddi Koma (upper right) were formed when rising magma along the Ardoukoba Rift encountered waters of the Ghoubbat al Kharab gulf of the Red Sea. Fresh lava flows in the background were erupted from the parallel NW-SE-trending fissures of Ardoukôba volcano in the country of Djibouti. Tilted fault blocks in the background dip to the SW and NE, away from the center of the rift valley.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft, 1976.
A lava fountain at the right rises from a 500-m-long fissure at Ardoukôba. This view looks from the NNW to the Ghoubbat al Kharab gulf of the Red Sea in the distance. About 25 fissures parallel to the NW-SE trend of the Ardoukôba Rift opened during the eruption, but eruptive activity was localized on a single rift. Lava flows from the 1978 eruption covered 3.2 km2 of the rift floor.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft, 1978.
A small cinder cone ejects spatter during the first historical eruption of the Ardoukôba (Asal) Rift, which took place November 7-14, 1978. Lava fountaining occurred from a 500-m-long fissure. Several spatter cones and a cinder cone were formed along the fissure, which fed lava flows that covered about 3 km2 of the rift floor.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft, 1978.
The dark aa lava flow in the foreground was produced during an eruption on the Arkdoukôba Rift November 7-14, 1978. This photo from the SW looks across the rift during the eruption and shows one of the regional NW-SE-trending faults of the rift in the background. Lava flows from the 1978 eruption covered about 3 km2 of the rift floor, primarily on the north side of the eruptive fissure.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft, 1978.
The Ardoukôba (Asal) Rift in the center of the photo lies in Djibouti and trends NW from the Red Sea. Ardoukoba contains a broad area of youthful fissure vents between Lake Asal (bounded by white saline deposits at the left) and the Ghoubbat al Kharab gulf (upper right). The most recent lava flows are younger than lake sediments deposited 5,300 years ago. The Ardoukôba fissure erupted in 1978, producing a small cinder cone and lava flows that covered part of the rift floor near the Red Sea.

NASA International Space Station image ISS004-E-11422, 1992 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/).
The Ardoukôba Rift is in Djibouti at the NW end of Lake Ghoubet (lower right) and is shown in this October 2019 Planet Labs satellite image monthly mosaic (N is at the top; this image is approximately 11 km across). It contains lava flows from scoria and spatter cones, with recent deposits erupted in 1978.

Satellite image courtesy of Planet Labs Inc., 2019 (https://www.planet.com/).
GVP Map Holdings

The maps shown below have been scanned from the GVP map archives and include the volcano on this page. Clicking on the small images will load the full 300 dpi map. Very small-scale maps (such as world maps) are not included. The maps database originated over 30 years ago, but was only recently updated and connected to our main database. We welcome users to tell us if they see incorrect information or other problems with the maps; please use the Contact GVP link at the bottom of the page to send us email.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Ardoukôba in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites