Eruptive activity continued at Erta Ale during December based on satellite data and a field excursion. Satellite images on 8 and 13 December showed a small thermal anomaly over a vent in the S Pit Crater and a smaller one over a second vent 85 m to the NW. According to a news article a local tour guide visited the area on 16 December and described “glowing rivers flowing from the southern crater”. The two thermal anomalies and additional hot areas were present in an 18 December satellite image. The thermal anomaly pattern suggested that lava from one of the vents had flowed in between them and about 200 m SSW. A more pronounced flow, possibly from the NW vent, traveled about 100 m NW and then flowed about 300 m NE and 230 WNW, stopping at the W crater wall. By 23 December most of the lava had cooled, though the two vents still produced thermal anomalies. On 28 December a bright thermal anomaly suggested that a new lava flow had traveled about 180 m NW and curved to the SW, flowing more than 230 m and stopping at the W crater wall. A small anomaly in the northern pit crater was also visible.

Geological Summary. The Erta Ale basaltic shield volcano in Ethiopia has a 50-km-wide edifice that rises more than 600 m from below sea level in the Danakil depression. The volcano includes a 0.7 x 1.6 km summit crater hosting steep-sided pit craters. Another larger 1.8 x 3.1 km wide depression elongated parallel to the trend of the Erta Ale range is located SE of the summit and is bounded by curvilinear fault scarps on the SE side. Basaltic lava flows from these fissures have poured into the caldera and locally overflowed its rim. The summit caldera usually also holds at least one long-term lava lake that has been active since at least 1967, and possibly since 1906. Recent fissure eruptions have occurred on the N flank.

Sources: Copernicus, Conciencia Radio Network