Mount Gubbi

Hayli Gubbi Volcano is a shield volcano located in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia. It is the southernmost member of the volcanic chain known as the Erta Ale Range. The volcano lies within the boundaries of the Afar Rift Volcanic Province. According to records from the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, the volcano’s first recorded eruption occurred on 23 November 2025 and is documented as the first volcanic activity in approximately 12,000 years.

Physical Characteristics

Hayli Gubbi Volcano is a shield-type volcano. Geomorphologically, it has a low-relief structure characterized by extensive basaltic lava flows. Its peak elevation has been measured at 521 metres, or approximately 1,709 feet. The volcano’s coordinates are 13.5°N latitude and 40.72°E longitude.

At the center of the crater lies a symmetrical scoria cone approximately 200 metres in diameter. This cone is situated within a depression (graben) where fumarolic activity (gas emissions) has been observed. This area is identified as a young volcanic field within the southern extension of the Erta Ale volcanic chain.

Remnants of an older shield structure are found on the northern part of the volcano. These areas have been covered by lava flows emerging from young fault systems extending from north to south. Some of these lava flows have reached as far as the Giuletti Plain to the south of the Erta Ale chain. The total length of the fault system exceeds 10 kilometres and is lined with numerous small spatter cones and pit craters.

The Afar Rift area where the volcano is located is a tectonic boundary where the African and Arabian plates are diverging. Surface deformation, lava flows, fault systems, and active geothermal processes have been reported across the region.

According to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, Hayli Gubbi’s volcano number is designated as 221091. The volcano’s most recent activity date is recorded as 23 November 2025.

According to VolcanoDiscovery data, as of 26 November 2025, the volcano’s activity status was classified as “small-scale activity or alert level (3/5)” and new crater formations were detected in radar imagery.

Geological Background

Hayli Gubbi Volcano is located within the Afar Rift Volcanic Province and is identified as part of the Erta Ale volcanic chain. According to records from the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, this volcano had no recorded eruption during the Holocene Epoch (approximately the last 12,000 years) until the eruption of 23 November 2025.

Hayli Gubbi lies within an active tectonic region in northeastern Ethiopia. The area forms the northern terminus of the East African Rift System, created by the separation of the African and Arabian plates. This structure is a broad geological fault line extending from the Ethiopian Rift Valley into neighboring countries and contains numerous active volcanic centers.

Volcanic activity within the Erta Ale chain has been observed at different locations in the past. These include the 2008 eruption at Dalaffilla Volcano and lava flows observed during 2005, 2007, and 2017–2020.

According to data from the Centre for Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics (COMET) in the United Kingdom, the eruption at Erta Ale Volcano on 15 July 2025 resulted in a magma intrusion moving southeastward. This intrusion propagated along a fault line extending toward Hayli Gubbi.

On 16 July, satellite imagery showed lava flows emerging from fissures around the southern caldera of Erta Ale. The same imagery indicated that this fissure system approached within approximately 2 kilometres of the Hayli Gubbi Crater.

On 25 July 2025, an abnormal white cloud formation was recorded inside the Hayli Gubbi Crater. Satellite data revealed regional uplift between 21 July and 3 August, and showed that this cloud cover had extended across the crater floor by mid-November. These observations indicate that magmatic activity began in the region prior to the 23 November 2025 eruption.

Volcanic activity at Hayli Gubbi Volcano in Ethiopia, 23 November 2025 – (Anadolu Agency)

The 2025 Eruption

Onset and Characteristics of the Eruption

Hayli Gubbi Volcano erupted between approximately 10:00 and 11:30 local time on 23 November 2025. The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program (GVP) confirmed that this eruption was the first recorded in Hayli Gubbi in the past 12,000 years. According to data from the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), the eruption was felt as a strong shockwave and seismic tremor. The sound of the eruption was heard as far as 50 kilometres south of the city of Semera.

Satellite imagery indicated that the ash cloud rose to an altitude of approximately 13.7 kilometres (45,000 feet), then reached up to 15.2 kilometres (50,000 feet). This cloud, containing approximately 220,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide, was detected spreading into the upper troposphere. Simultaneously, a pyroclastic density current cloud was observed moving 130 kilometres northward, reaching a width of 60 kilometres and following topographic features. The village of Afdera (28 kilometres west of the volcano) and surrounding settlements were covered by a layer of ash; no casualties were reported.

Light tremors were reported in areas near the Eritrean border, particularly in the Wollo and Tigray regions. Vibrations were also reported in the neighboring country of Djibouti. During the initial phase of the eruption, dark smoke rather than white ash enveloped the area, plunging it into temporary darkness. Satellite imagery showed the ash cloud drifting toward the Red Sea following the eruption.

Observations Around the Crater

On 25 November 2025, two days after the eruption, imagery revealed intense steam and gas emissions around the crater. Access to within a few hundred metres of the crater was possible, but entry into the crater itself was prevented due to dense gases and smoke.

The ground surrounding the crater was covered by a thick layer of ash. Only steam and gas emissions were observed in the area after the eruption, with no further activity recorded.

Ash Cloud Dispersion

According to data from the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), the ash cloud from Hayli Gubbi Volcano reached the upper atmosphere on the afternoon of 23 November 2025. The ash cloud initially rose to an altitude of 13.7 kilometres (45,000 feet) and later reached 15.2 kilometres (50,000 feet).

Satellite data showed that after the eruption, the ash mass drifted eastward and spread into the upper troposphere. Additionally, a resuspended ash layer was detected at an altitude of 4.6 kilometres (15,000 feet) near the Gulf of Aden.

The movement of the ash cloud affected several countries between 23 and 25 November 2025. By the evening of 23 November, the cloud had advanced over Yemen and Oman. On the morning of 24 November, ash and sulfur dioxide concentrations persisted over Yemen and Oman, and by midday the cloud reached Pakistan. Later that day, the ash cloud spread over southern Pakistan and northeastern India.

On the night of 24 November (local time around 23:00), ash was detected over Delhi (4,130 kilometres northeast of the volcano). Satellite imagery indicated that the ash cloud continued moving eastward toward China. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the ash cloud moved from western to northeastern India, traveling at altitudes between 8.5 and 15 kilometres. IMD forecasts indicated that the cloud’s impact over the country would last until the evening of 25 November.

During its passage over the Red Sea, the ash reached the airspace of Yemen and Oman; in response, the Oman Environmental Authority activated its emergency monitoring system. The authority reported no adverse impact on air quality.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department reported that the ash cloud was detected 60 nautical miles (approximately 111 kilometres) south of Gwadar Port on the evening of 24 November. Based on satellite and ground observations, the ash continued moving eastward over northern India on 25 November. Within the same day, the ash cloud advanced toward the Chinese border.

Impact on Air Travel

The ash cloud’s movement across the Red Sea toward the Middle East and South Asia disrupted international air traffic. Between 24 and 25 November 2025, numerous flights were canceled in India, Pakistan, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

In India, airlines including Air India, Akasa Air, IndiGo, and KLM suspended numerous flights. Air India canceled 11 flights on 24 and 25 November. At Delhi Airport, at least seven international flights were canceled and more than ten were delayed.

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued instructions to airlines to avoid flight altitudes affected by ash. Airlines were also requested to report any signs of engine performance anomalies, cockpit smoke, or unusual odors in aircraft potentially exposed to ash. The DGCA also directed airport authorities to inspect runways for ash contamination.

In the United Arab Emirates, Air Arabia canceled some flights departing from Sharjah on 25 November. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that the ash cloud would exit Indian airspace by the evening of 25 November.