On 12th June Nabro, a 2218 meters high stratovolcano located on the border of northern Ethiopia and Eritrea erupted, threatening the aviation industry in the region. The volcano which is located in the Danakil depression between the two countries, last erupted an estimated 150 years ago.
The eruption was preceded by earthquake swarms, located in the vicinity of the volcano. The earthquakes varied between magnitude 4.3 and 5.1 and lasted over a few hours before the eruption. The two largest earthquakes detected were a magnitude 5.4 and according to the USGS they occurred at 23:32 on 12th June and 00:03 on 13th June, with depths of 10.1 km and 9.9 km.
According to reports the actual eruption started between 00:00 and 02:00 on 13th June. The ash plume rose to altitudes between 9.1 and 13.7 km and led to the evacuation of residents in the surrounding area. According to the Eritrean Ministry of Information, hundreds of kilometres were covered by the ash as a result of the eruption.
The ash cloud travelled towards countries including, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Somalia, Central Africa Republic and Egypt. Flights were cancelled or disrupted in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. There were also reports of officials considering closing Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s main airport due to the warnings.
The eruption is yet to seize. On 17th June a magnitude 5.5 earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km in the vicinity to the volcano leading to fears of further activity and flight disruptions.
By Saajeda Bandali
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