New vent at Dofen mountain erupting a strong jet of steam and mud
© Fana Broadcasting CorporateNew vent at Dofen mountain erupting a strong jet of steam and mud
A new vent producing a powerful jet of gas, rocks and mud has been observed at Dofen volcano in Dulecha district a short time ago. This is the area closest to the ongoing seismic swarm in Ethiopia's Afar region, which we suspect to be caused by the intrusion of magma.

The embedded video below although not clear enough to see much details shows what might be phreatic or hydrothermal explosive activity, when ground water is heated by fluids from magma underneath and flashes to steam, escaping in this case from an open ground crack. It is not entirely clear if a vent had existed at the site before or if it opened recently.

There are no further details available immediately, but this clearly is a sign of escalation of the crisis and strongly hints that a volcanic eruption could be in the making.


Dofen volcano's first known eruption might be in the making

If indeed an eruption is to occur at Dofen, it would be the first one of this volcano known from historic sources. Dofen is a 1151-m-high stratovolcano that rises 450 m above the Awash plain in the northern Main Ethiopian Rift. It has erupted frequently from fissures parallel to the rift axis and produced young lava flows and rows of cinder cones. Similar to Fentale volcano to the south, which earlier was the main suspect of the seismic crisis, it would be indeed not entirely surprising if volcanic activity takes place at Dofen. The area near Dofen has also been known for its strong fumarolic activity, another indication that the volcano has been only dormant.