Volcanoes by country

Ethiopia

Volcanoes in Ethiopia

Map, activity and eruption history

The Holocene catalogue of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 49 volcanoes in Ethiopia. This page brings together the map, report status, eruption history and the surroundings of every single volcano. None of them currently has a running eruption report.

Map All countries with volcanoes
Earthquakes · Ethiopia
With a current report
None No current eruption report
Volcanoes in the catalogue
49
Documented eruptions
37
Highest volcano
2,447 mBoset
Last documented eruption
2025Erta Ale

Map

Volcano map of Ethiopia

Every volcano in the country with plate boundaries, air traffic within 50 km, airports and nuclear power plants. Earthquakes can be added on top.

Map layers

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Markers show the catalogue position of a volcano, not the extent of a hazard zone. Plate boundaries after Bird (2003), PB2002.

All volcanoes in Ethiopia

Sorted by report status and elevation. Every entry opens the full volcano profile.

Volcano catalogue
  1. Boset No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    2,447 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  2. Bora-Bericha-Tullu Moye No current eruption report
    Type
    Pyroclastic cone
    Elevation
    2,345 m
    Last eruption
    1900
    Eruptions
    3
  3. Aluto No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    2,335 m
    Last eruption
    1550
    Eruptions
    5
  4. Corbetti No current eruption report
    Type
    Caldera
    Elevation
    2,289 m
    Last eruption
    396 BCE
    Eruptions
    2
  5. Butajiri-Silti Field No current eruption report
    Type
    Volcanic field
    Elevation
    2,281 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  6. Ayelu No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    2,145 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    1
  7. Shala No current eruption report
    Type
    Caldera
    Elevation
    2,075 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  8. Fentale No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    2,007 m
    Last eruption
    1789
    Eruptions
    1
  9. Mousa Alli No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,993 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  10. Gedemsa No current eruption report
    Type
    Caldera
    Elevation
    1,909 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  11. East Ziway No current eruption report
    Type
    Fissure vent
    Elevation
    1,889 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  12. Mallahle No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,875 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  13. Bishoftu Volcanic Field No current eruption report
    Type
    Volcanic field
    Elevation
    1,850 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  14. Melkassa No current eruption report
    Type
    Volcanic field
    Elevation
    1,765 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  15. Ma Alalta No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,745 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  16. Bilate River Field No current eruption report
    Type
    Volcanic field
    Elevation
    1,700 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  17. Adwa No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,670 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    2
  18. Sork Ale No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,611 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  19. Northern Lake Abaya Volcanic Field No current eruption report
    Type
    Volcanic field
    Elevation
    1,594 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  20. Mega Volcanic Field No current eruption report
    Type
    Volcanic field
    Elevation
    1,500 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —

“Last eruption” is a catalogue record, not evidence of activity in progress.

Significant volcanic eruptions in Ethiopia

Eruptions with fatalities, damage or high explosivity from the NOAA NCEI database of significant volcanic eruptions.

  1. 1631 Dama Ali 50 Deaths Damage: moderate (roughly 1–5 million USD)
  2. 1907 Alayta VEI 2 Deaths: few (roughly 1–50)
  3. 2025 Hayli Gubbi Damage: limited (below 1 million USD)
  4. 1900 Bora-Bericha-Tullu Moye Damage: limited (below 1 million USD)
  5. 1250 Fentale Damage: limited (below 1 million USD)

Explosivity of the documented eruptions

VEI · 25

VEI 0
7
VEI 1
3
VEI 2
11
VEI 3
2
VEI 4
1
VEI 5
1
VEI 6
0

The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) runs from 0 (effusive) to 8 (super-eruptive). Each step stands for roughly ten times the erupted mass.

Eruptions per century

1500–1599
1
1600–1699
1
1700–1799
2
1800–1899
3
1900–1999
13
2000–2099
6

Documented eruptions since 1500. Earlier centuries are recorded less completely, so a rise also reflects better observation.

Earthquakes near volcanoes – Ethiopia

1 events in the last 30 days within 50 km of a volcano in Ethiopia.

Earthquakes · Ethiopia
  • M4.5 Awash Sep 16, 2026, 12:33 PM UTC · Depth: 10 km 25.0 km Fentale

Spatial proximity does not establish a volcanic origin. Many events in volcanic regions are tectonic.

Tectonic setting and volcano types

What the volcanic landscape of Ethiopia is made of and which tectonic setting it sits in.

Tectonic setting

  • Rift zone / Intermediate crust (15-25 km)32
  • Rift zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)14
  • Intraplate / Continental crust (> 25 km)3

Most common volcano types

  • Stratovolcano16
  • Shield volcano11
  • Volcanic field9
  • Fissure vent5
  • Caldera4

Infrastructure within 100 km

Airports with scheduled service and nuclear power plant sites near a volcano in Ethiopia.

Airports 6

  • Hawassa International Airport10.3 km · AWA
  • Semera Airport25.7 km · SZE
  • Addis Ababa Bole International Airport29.6 km · ADD
  • Mekele Alula Aba Nega Airport86.8 km · MQX
  • Arba Minch Airport90.4 km · AMH
  • Kombolcha Airport96.6 km · DSE

Nuclear power plants 0

No site from the included datasets lies within this radius.

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts.

Volcanoes in profile – Ethiopia

Short descriptions of the country's best-known volcanoes.

Corbetti

Caldera · 2,289 m · Last eruption: 396 BCE

The Corbetti Caldera is an actively deforming volcano in the Main Ethiopian Rift. It is the site of the Corbetti Geothermal Power Station. The Corbetti Caldera is 15 km (9.3 mi) across and overlaps an older (pleistocene), 30 by 40 km caldera called Awasa, which is considered the same volcanic system. The Corbetti Caldera contains the central cone called Urji and a large obsidian dome called Chebbi. The Awasa Caldera contains Lake Hawassa and the town of Awasa, the Corbetti caldera contains half of the Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary.

Open profile Read on Wikipedia

Ayelu

Stratovolcano · 2,145 m · Last eruption: Not available

Mount Hazalo, also known as Azalo, or Ayelu is an isolated, rhyolitic stratovolcano in eastern Ethiopia. Located in the Afar Region, near the South of the towns of Āfdem and Gewane, and has an altitude of 2,145 metres (7,037 ft).

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Shala

Caldera · 2,075 m · Last eruption: Not available

The O'a Caldera, also known as Shala, is a volcanic caldera in Ethiopia. It has two lakes: Lake Shala and a small maar called Lake Chitu. Sub-features include Mount Fike and Mount Billa.

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Fentale

Stratovolcano · 2,007 m · Last eruption: 1789

Fentale is a stratovolcano located in Awash National Park which was found in the Afar Region, Ethiopia. It is the highest point of Fentale woreda.

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Mousa Alli

Stratovolcano · 1,993 m · Last eruption: Not available

Mousa Ali is a 2,021 metres (6,631 ft) stratovolcano located on the tri-point of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. The volcano is the highest point in Djibouti. The volcano's summit is truncated by a caldera, which contains rhyolitic lava domes and lava flows. The last known eruption occurred before the Holocene epoch.

Open profile Read on Wikipedia

Mallahle

Stratovolcano · 1,875 m · Last eruption: Not available

Mallahle is a stratovolcano on the border of Ethiopia and Eritrea, with a 6 km wide caldera.

Open profile Read on Wikipedia

Short descriptions: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions about volcanoes in Ethiopia

How many volcanoes are there in Ethiopia?
The Holocene catalogue of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 49 volcanoes in Ethiopia. It covers volcanoes with eruptions during the last roughly 12,000 years.
Which volcano in Ethiopia is the highest?
The highest recorded volcano is Boset at 2,447 m.
When was the last documented eruption in Ethiopia?
The most recent eruption documented in the catalogue dates from 2025 (Erta Ale).
Are the volcanoes in Ethiopia active?
None of the 49 volcanoes currently has an eruption report. That does not mean they are extinct – source coverage differs from volcano to volcano.
Why does the map show aircraft around volcanoes?
Volcanic ash endangers aircraft engines. The map therefore shows live positions within 50 km of a volcano so that the proximity of air traffic to an active volcano becomes visible.
Where does the data on this page come from?
Catalogue data and eruption history from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, significant eruptions from NOAA NCEI, alert levels and bulletins from USGS, GeoNet and INGV, earthquakes from the QuakeMap24 database, flight positions from ADSB.lol.

Volcanoes in other countries

Countries with at least 5 volcanoes in the catalogue.

All countries with volcanoes

Sources and data dates

Everything shown comes from the public sources listed below and is updated automatically.

QuakeMap24 is not a warning authority. Follow the responsible authorities when making local decisions.