Erta Ale Volcano, Ethiopia

Erta Ale is a shield volcano in the Afar region of East Africa. It is a remote and rarely visited volcano that is known currently to have an active lava lake in its summit crater. The earth opens up and a glowing lava lake is known as the Gateway of Hell. The Afar language calls it \”smoking mountain\” which indicates it has been active for a long time. The Afar region is the only place on earth where a tectonic triple junction is located above sea level (Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and African Rift Valley). The Erta Ale Range is 95 km long and 50 km wide. Erta Ale volcano has feature similar to the Hawaiian volcanoes of Kilauea and Mauna Loa. The caldera is 1.6 km x 0.7 km in diameter and two pit craters are often filled by lava lakes.

erta ale Erta Ale Volcano, Ethiopia