Africa is a continent with many faces. On the one hand, for years there has been a turbulent social, political and economic situation. On the other hand, the African nature paints a picture of paradise on earth. It is the unique fauna and flora that attracts tourists from all over the world. Speaking about the natural attractions of the Black Land, one cannot ignore the volcanoes in Africa.
Monumental mountains create an amazing landscape, and legends associated with them enhance the aura of mystery surrounding them. Volcanoes have always attracted the attention of travelers, photographers, and adventurers. Africa is a continent with a large number of volcanoes, some are accessible and others are almost impossible to get close to.
Less well known is the fact that Africa is home to more than 100 volcanoes that have been active during Holocene time (roughly the past 10,000 years), including one of the most voluminous and dangerous lava lakes on Earth, and to a rift system that’s actively splitting the continent apart.
Africa is best known for BIG things, including Earth’s largest desert (the Sahara), longest river (the Nile), and largest land mammal (the African elephant). Mount Kilimanjaro volcano in Tanzania, celebrated in Ernest Hemingway’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro and later in The Lion King series, is also Africa BIG.
Most African volcanoes result from hotspots, the rifting in East Africa, or a combination of the two. In East Africa, spreading processes have already torn Saudi Arabia away from the rest of the African continent, forming the Red Sea. The actively splitting African Plate and the Arabian Plate meet in what geologists call a triple junction, where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden. A new spreading centre may be developing under Africa along the East African Rift Zone.
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When the continental crust stretches beyond its limits, tension cracks begin to appear on the Earth's surface. Magma rises and squeezes through the widening cracks, sometimes to erupt and form volcanoes. The rising magma, whether or not it erupts, puts more pressure on the crust to produce additional fractures and, ultimately, the rift zone. East Africa may be the site of the Earth's next major ocean.
Plate interactions in the region provide scientists an opportunity to study first hand how the Atlantic may have begun to form about 200 million years ago. Geologists believe that, if spreading continues, the three plates that meet at the edge of the present-day African continent will separate completely; allowing the Indian Ocean to flood the area and making the easternmost corner of Africa (the Horn of Africa) a large island.
Without a doubt, visiting the volcano on the island of Fogo is absolutely mandatory, being able to ascend its Peak, see the crater and slide down the slopes full of lava. Among the most difficult volcanoes to access is Mount Nyrangongo. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is characterized by hosting one of the largest and least studied lava lakes on the planet, with more than 200 meters in diameter.
Like some volcanoes in Asia, they are sacred symbols and places of worship for the local people, where supernatural beings are worshipped.
Types of Volcanoes in Africa
What types of volcanoes can be found in Africa? The Black Continent is dominated by stratovolcanoes with a distinctive conical shape. There are less numerous shield volcanoes.
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All Active Volcanoes in Africa 🌋 | Most Explosive Hotspots on the Continent
Notable Volcanoes in Africa
Kilimanjaro
We start with Africa’s highest peak. The Kilimanjaro massif is located in Tanzania, right on the border with Kenya. It rises out of a vast plain, disrupting the flat landscape of the area. Its 5895 meters of altitude make it the highest peak in the entire African continent, large in size and its location, as well as the climate, favor the existence of diverse ecosystems in a unique way, thus, on Kilimanjaro glaciers, deserts, alpine landscapes coexist , savanna and rainforest.
Mount Cameroon
This high active volcano is spectacular, it is 4,400 m high and is an active volcano in Buea, in the Anglophone area of Cameroon. Normally, excursions of several days are organized to enjoy outdoor sports, but above all to soak up the culture of the country.
Erta Ale
The so-called Erta Ale volcano rises 613 meters high above the Danakil desert, in the Afar depression, Ethiopia and, it has been erupting since 1967, is one of the most active volcanoes in the country. It is probably one of the most beautiful volcanoes to visit. Erta Ale volcano, in Ethiopia, lays claim to one of the longest-existing lava lakes, having been active continuously since at least 1967, and possibly since 1906. At times, the volcano has hosted not one, but two roiling lava lakes in its summit caldera.
Nyiragongo
A gas plume rises above lava fountains in a lava lake in the summit crater of Nyiragongo volcano on 20 August 1994. Nyiragongo volcano, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, having erupted at least 34 times since 1882. In 2002 and 2021, the large lava lake at its summit drained and fed lava flows that raced down the volcano’s flanks toward and into the crowded city of Goma, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee and resulting in significant damage and even some deaths.
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Nyiragongo’s lavas are unusually fluid owing to their high temperature (1100 degrees Celsius, or 2000 degrees Fahrenheit) and low silica content (36 percent, compared to 46-50 percent for most basaltic lavas and over 74 percent for Yellowstone’s rhyolites). Their extreme fluidity has been compared to that of water (an exaggeration), but the risk they pose to vulnerable people and infrastructure is acute.
Ngorongoro Crater
Africa is also home to several notable calderas, including picturesque Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a world-class wildlife safari attraction. Ngorongoro has been described as the largest unflooded, intact volcanic caldera in the world. The crater is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) across, 600 meters (1970 feet) deep, and covers 300 square kilometers (110 square miles).
Aluto Caldera
InSAR-a technique that uses satellite images to measure ground deformation-has identified four actively deforming volcanoes along the vigorously active Ethiopian segment of the East African Rift. At Aluto caldera, two pulses of rapid inflation (10-15 centimeters, 4-6 inches) in 2004 and 2008 were separated by gradual subsidence, reminiscent of Yellowstone’s “heavy breathing” during historical time. At least four large-volume (greater than 10 km3, or 2.4 mi3) caldera-forming eruptions occurred during a pulse of volcanism in Ethiopia between 320,000 and 170,000 years ago, at the dawn of modern humans. Researchers speculate that eruptions from Aluto were large enough to have influenced the dispersal of hominin populations in East Africa. Apparently, the complex relationship between humans and volcanoes that we experience today has its roots deep in pre-history.
Volcanic Activity in Africa and the Red Sea
In historic times, at least 31 volcanoes have been active in Africa and the Red Sea, including Nyamuragira, Ol Doinyo Lengai, and Jebel Zubair volcanoes. A total of 157 eruptions have been witnessed and documented since around 450 BC.
Africa is the only region other than the Mediterranean with an historically dated B.C. eruption (at Mount Cameroon, observed by a passing Carthaginian navigator in the 5th century B.C.). By the 15th centuray A.D., however, when Portuguese exploration of Africa had begun and Vasco de Gama sailed to India via the Cape of Good Hope, only 2 more eruptions had been recorded, both from Ethiopia. In the next 3 and two-thirds centuries, another 20 some eruptions were recorded, but the main historical record of the continent began with the opening of the Suez Canal at the end of 1869, and the heyday of African exploration that followed.
Volcanic Eruptions in Africa and the Red Sea
The table below lists volcanic eruptions, significant eruptive episodes or related events in Africa and the Red Sea during geologically recent times.
| Date | Volcano | VEI | Region | Deaths | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Apr 18 - ongoing | Nyamuragira | 0 | DRCongo | 0 | |
| 2002 May 17 ? 2021 May 22(eruption 2002 May 17 ? 2016 Nov 27 - 2017 May 2 | Nyamuragira | 0 | DRCongo | 0 | |
| 2016 Sep 21 or before - Oct 13 or later | Ol Doinyo Lengai | 0 | Tanzania | 0 | |
| 2014 Jun 22 - 2016 May 14 | Nyamuragira | 0 | DRCongo | 0 | |
| 2015 Jun 20 or before - Aug 24 or later | Ol Doinyo Lengai | 0 | Tanzania | 0 | |
| 2011 or before - 2014 Jul 15 ±10 d. | Ol Doinyo Lengai | 0 | Tanzania | 0 | |
| 2013 Sep 28 - Nov 20 | Jebel Zubair | 2 | Yemen | ||
| 2011 Jun 13 - 2012 Jun 3 ? | Nabro | 4 | Eritrea | ||
| 2011 Nov 6 - 2012 Mar 16 ? | Nyamuragira | 2 | DRCongo | ||
| 2011 Dec 18 - 2012 Jan 12 | Jebel Zubair | 2 | Yemen | ||
| 2011 Jan 4 ±3 d. | Dallol | 0 | Danakil desert, Ethiopia | ||
| 2007 Jun 16 ±15 d. | Nyamuragira | 2 | DRCongo | ||
| 2000 May 28 - Sep 15 ±5 d. | Cameroon | 2 | Cameroon | ||
| 2000 Jan 27 - Feb 10 or later | Nyamuragira | 2 | DRCongo | ||
| 1999 Mar 28 - Apr 17 | Cameroon | 2 | Cameroon | ||
| 1998 Oct 17 - Oct 25 or later | Nyamuragira | 2 | DRCongo | ||
| 1996 Dec 1 - Dec 5 or later | Nyamuragira | 3 | DRCongo | ||
| 1994 Jun 23 - 1996 Mar 16 ±15 d. | Nyiragongo | 1 | DRCongo | ||
| 1994 Jul 4 - Aug 25 or later | Nyamuragira | 2 | DRCongo | ||
| 1983 Jan 1 - 1993 Sep 24 | Ol Doinyo Lengai | 2 | Tanzania | ||
| 1991 Sep 20 - 1993 Feb 8 | Nyamuragira | 3 | DRCongo | ||
| 1989 Apr 24 - Aug 15 ±5 d. | Nyamuragira | 3 | DRCongo | ||
| 1989 May 29 | Cameroon | 1 | Cameroon | ||
| 1987 Dec 30 - 1988 Jan 4 | Nyamuragira | 1 | DRCongo | ||
| 1986 Jul 16 - Aug 20 | Nyamuragira | 2 | DRCongo | ||
| 1984 Feb 23 - Mar 14 | Nyamuragira | 2 | DRCongo | ||
| 1982 Oct 16 - Nov 12 | Cameroon | 2 | Cameroon | ||
| 1982 Jun 21 - Oct 17 ±15 d. | Nyiragongo | 1 | DRCongo | ||
| 1981 Dec 25 - 1982 Jan 14 | Nyamuragira | 3 | DRCongo | ||
| 1980 Jan 30 - Feb 24 | Nyamuragira | 3 | DRCongo | ||
| 1978 Nov 7 - Nov 14 | Ardoukôba | 1 | Djibouti | ||
| 1976 Dec 23 - 1977 Jun 15 ±5 d. | Nyamuragira | 1 | DRCongo | ||
| 1927 Mar 16 ±15 d. 1967 Apr 23 - May 9 | Nyamuragira | 2 | DRCongo | ||
| 1960 Mar 16 ±15 d. 1966 Aug 14(eruption 1960 Mar 16 ±15 d. 1960 Jan 16 ±15 d. | Erta Ale | 0 | Danakil depression, Ethiopia | ||
| 1959 Jan 23 - Mar 19 | Cameroon | 2 | Cameroon | ||
| 1958 Aug 7 - Nov 21 | Nyamuragira | 2 | DRCongo | ||
| 1958 Feb 6 or before | Ol Doinyo Lengai | 1 | Tanzania | ||
| 1957 Dec 28 | Nyamuragira | 0 | DRCongo | ||
| 1957 Aug 1 - Aug 3 | Visoke | 1 | DR Congo/Rwanda | ||
| 1956 Nov 17 - Nov 18 | Nyamuragira | 1 | DRCongo | ||
| 1955 Jan 19 - Jan 20 | Ol Doinyo Lengai | 2 | Tanzania | ||
| 1954 Jul 26 ±5 d. 1921 - 1938 Jan 17 ±3 d. | Nyamuragira | 0 | DRCongo | ||
| 1928 Dec 31 ±365 d. | Manda-Inakir | 2 | Ethiopia/Djibouti | ||
| 1926 | Dallol | 1 | Danakil desert, Ethiopia | ||
| 1926 | Ol Doinyo Lengai | 2 | Tanzania | ||
| 1925 | Cameroon | Cameroon | |||
| 1923 | Santa Isabel | Equatorial Guinea | |||
| 1922 Feb 3 - Aug 24 | Cameroon | 2 | Cameroon | ||
| 1921 Dec 31 ±365 d. | The Barrier | 2 | Kenya | ||
| 1921 Feb | Ol Doinyo Lengai | 2 | Tanzania | ||
| 1920 - 1921 | Nyiragongo | 1 | DRCongo | ||
| 1920 | Nyamuragira | 0 | DRCongo | ||
| 1918 | Nyiragongo | 1 | DRCongo | ||
| 1916 Dec 1 ±30 d. 1917 Jan 1(eruption 1916 Dec 1 ±30 d. 1917 | The Barrier | 2 | Kenya | ||
| 1915 | Alayta | 2 | Ethiopia | ||
| 1914 Aug 15 ±270 d. 1913 | Ol Doinyo Lengai | Tanzania | |||
| 1911 Aug - Oct | Nyiragongo | 1 | DRCongo | ||
| 1910 Oct 26 - Dec 22 | Meru | 2 | Tanzania | ||
| 1907 ±3 y. 1800 ? | Kyejo | 2 | Tanzania | ||
| 1750 ±50 y. | Jebel al-Tair | 2 | Yemen | ||
| 1650 ±50 y. 1400 AD Jul 15 ±45 d. | Dubbi | 2 | Eritrea (Africa) | ||
| 1256 AD Jun 5 - Jul 27 ? | Harrat Rahat | 3 | western Saudi Arabia | ||
| 1253 AD | Harra es-Sawâd | 3 | Yemen | ||
| 1250 ±50 y. AD | Fantale | Ethiopia (Africa) | |||
| 1000 or before AD | Harrat Lunayyir | Tabuk Province, western Saudi Arabia | |||
| 650 ±50 y. AD | Harrat Khaybar | 2 | western Saudi Arabia | ||
| 641 AD | Harrat Rahat | 2 | western Saudi Arabia | ||
| 500 ±100 y. AD | Harra of Arhab | Yemen | |||
| 450 ±50 y. BC | Cameroon | 3 | Cameroon |
Remark: Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When was the last volcanic eruption in Africa and the Red Sea? The last volcanic eruption in Africa and the Red Sea was from Nyamuragira volcano. It began in 2018 and is continuing.
- When was the first documented volcanic eruption in Africa and the Red Sea? The first historically documented eruption occurred around 450 BC from Cameroon volcano.
- How often do volcanoes in Africa and the Red Sea erupt? Since 450 BC, Africa and the Red Sea has seen at least 157 historically documented eruptions. This means that a volcano erupts on average every 15.8 years.
- How active are the volcanoes in Africa and the Red Sea? Africa and the Red Sea is volcanically extremely active: Since 1900, at least 19 volcanoes in Africa and the Red Sea have been active. Every year, at least one volcano has been in eruption in Africa and the Red Sea. The latest eruption from Nyamuragira volcano volcano is still continuing at present.
- When was the largest volcanic eruption in Africa and the Red Sea? The largest eruption in Africa and the Red Sea in historic times was from Nabro volcano. It occurred during 2011 - 2012.
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