The Erta Ale volcano erupted in Ethiopia. This cone is located in one of the least friendly places on Earth, and at its top there is an extremely rare lake. We received the material on Kontakt24.
At Kontakt 24 we received photos of the eruption of the Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia, which occurred on Monday, December 2.
– The photos I managed to take almost cost me my life – wrote the author of the photo.
Hell lake
The Erta Ale volcano is located in the heart of the Danakil Desert, one of the hottest and least friendly places on Earth. In the language of the Afar people living in this area, its name means “smoking mountain”, and one of the particularly active craters was called “the gate to hell”.
One of the most characteristic features of Erta Ale is the lava lake located at the top of the cone – there are only a few of them on Earth. The reservoir filled with molten rock has been there continuously since at least 1967, but according to some data it may be even older, present since 1906.
The Danakil Desert is located in the Great Rift Valley region, at the junction of tectonic plates, which explains its high volcanic activity.
Kontakt24, Smithsonian Institute
Main photo source: Jerzy/ Kontakt24