Ethiopia: Why Does Ethiopia Have Earthquakes and Volcanoes? a Geologist Explains

Ethiopia: Why Does Ethiopia Have Earthquakes and Volcanoes? a Geologist Explains

Analysis - A swarm of earth tremors and fears of volcanic eruptions in January forced tens of thousands of people to move away from Awash Fentale, an area in the Afar region of Ethiopia. The area falls within a geologically active region of the Great Rift Valley that has experienced a number of earthquakes and volcanic events in the last 800 years. Two major volcanic eruptions occurred in 1250 and 1820 AD.

Why does Ethiopia have earthquakes and volcanoes? A geologist explains

A swarm of earth tremors and fears of volcanic eruptions in January forced tens of thousands of people to move away from Awash Fentale, an area in the Afar region of Ethiopia. The area falls within a geologically active region of the Great Rift Valley that has experienced a number of earthquakes and volcanic events in the last 800 years. Two major volcanic eruptions occurred in 1250 and 1820 AD. What’s unfolded in Fentale in 2025 is part of an o…