Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Marsabit.

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

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Marsabit.

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

222021

Unknown - Evidence Uncertain

1,707 m / 5,600 ft

2.32°N
37.97°E

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Shield

Volcano Types
Shield
Maar(s)
Pyroclastic cone(s)

Rock Types

Major
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Trachybasalt / Tephrite Basanite

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

16,804
22,677
49,742
111,322

Geological Summary

Marsabit is a massive basaltic shield volcano located 170 km E off the center of the East African Rift. There are 22 maars and 180 cinder cones on its slopes, most of which are concentrated along NW- and NE-trending belts that cut across the thickly vegetated summit region. The main phase of shield construction occurred during the Pliocene. Quaternary activity shifted to explosive activity that formed maars accompanied by further extensive effusion of lava flows. The youngest dated lava flow has a Potassium-Argon age of 68,000 ± 16,000 years, but more recent activity has also occurred. The youngest lava flows are unvegetated, and Key (1987) mapped the post-shield cinder cones as Pleistocene-to-Recent in age.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Key R M, 1987. Geology of the Marsabit area. Rpt Mines Geol Dept Kenya, 108: 1-42.

Key R M, Rop B P, Rundle C C, 1987. The development of the late Cenozoic alkali basaltic Marsabit shield volcano, northern Kenya. J African Earth Sci, 6: 475-491.

Williams L A J, 1970. The volcanics of the Gregory Rift Valley, East Africa. Bull Volcanol, 34: 439-465.

Wood C A, 1980. (pers. comm.).

Eruptive History

The Global Volcanism Program is not aware of any Holocene eruptions from Marsabit. If this volcano has had large eruptions (VEI >= 4) prior to 12,000 years ago, information might be found on the Marsabit page in the LaMEVE (Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions) database, a part of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

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.

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Angar, Gof

Maar

Barachuma, Gof

Maar

Bongole, Gof

Maar

Boro, Gof

Maar

Dakara, Gof

Maar

Hanjale, Gof

Maar

Karsa Kile

Maar

Kolbo, Gof

Maar

Njale, Gof

Maar

Photo Gallery

A Space Shuttle perspective shows part of Marsabit, a massive, 6,300 km² shield volcano located 170 km E of the center of the East African Rift. Its slopes are dotted with 180 cinder cones and 22 maars, such as the prominent circular one below the thickly vegetated summit of the shield volcano. Most of these vents are concentrated along NW- and NE-trending belts cutting across the summit. The youngest lava flows are unvegetated, and the post-shield cinder cones were mapped as Pleistocene to Holocene in age.

NASA Space Shuttle image STS026-37-2, 1988 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/).

The 6,300 km² Marsabit volcanic field contains around 550 identified features including cones, vents, and maar craters, shown in this September 2019 Planet Labs satellite image monthly mosaic (N is at the top; this image is approximately 100 km across). The crater immediately south of the darker area in the center of the image is approximately 2.5 km in diameter.

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

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

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

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Marsabit. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Marsabit. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Marsabit

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).