Relevance: GS-1 (Geography – Volcanoes & Natural Hazards); 

Source: Indian Express, NASA Earth Observatory, Google Earth

A long-dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted after nearly 10,000 years, sending ash plumes up to 14 km high. Winds carried the ash across the Red Sea, Oman, Yemen, and parts of western & northern India, prompting DGCA to issue flight-safety advisories.

About the Volcano

• Hayli Gubbi lies in Ethiopia’s Afar Depression, part of the East African Rift System (EARS).
• It is a rift-zone basaltic volcano, formed at a divergent plate boundary where the African Plate is splitting.
• The Afar region is a global volcanism hotspot, home to Erta Ale (lava lake) and Dabbahu (major fissure eruptions).
• Hayli Gubbi was dormant for ~10,000 years, but rift-related magma activity enables sudden reactivation.

Consequences

• Volcanic ash can damage aircraft engines, pit windscreens, and cause sensor failures.

• Ashfall affected Ethiopia’s Afdera area, damaging structures, livestock, and water sources.
• Fine ash reaching India caused hazy skies and minor air quality dips in some regions.
• Such eruptions can influence global climate if ash and aerosols reach the stratosphere (e.g., reduced solar radiation).

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Q. Consider the following:

1. Rift-zone volcanoes are typically associated with divergent plate boundaries.
2. Volcanic ash clouds can damage jet engines even without direct ashfall on the ground.
3. The Afar Depression is a triple-junction tectonic plate boundary.

How many of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only one (b) Only two 

(c) All three (d) None