Bora Ale

Stratovolcano in Ethiopia

Key Facts

Elevation

668 m (2,192 ft)

Type

Stratovolcano

Location

13.725°, 40.600°

Region

Afar Rift Volcanic Province

Rock Type

Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone

Location

Loading map...

Overview

Bora Ale is a complex volcano located near the center of the Erta Ale Range. The earliest activity formed submarine lava flows partially covered by Quaternary reef deposits. A 4-km-wide shield volcano SW of the main cone is cut by curvilinear faults; youthful chains of spatter cones follow this same pattern and form concentric semi-circles.

The summit is located on the NE side of the massif and consists of a silicic stratovolcano that is the largest of the Erta Ale Range. It has produced steep-sided viscous lava flows that have traveled up to 5 km. Strong fumarolic activity occurs within a 300-m-wide summit crater.

Regional faulting has fed very recent basaltic lava flows from a NNW-trending fissure that cuts the stratovolcano.

Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment

Primary Hazards

Pyroclastic flows
Lava flows
Volcanic bombs and ballistics
Lahars and mudflows

Risk Level

Population at RiskModerate

Infrastructure RiskModerate

Aviation RiskSignificant

Geological Composition & Structure

Rock Types

Primary

Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Silica Content

Low (45-52% SiO₂)

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone

Continental rift or intraplate setting with varied eruptive styles.

Age & Formation

Epoch

Holocene

Evidence

Evidence Credible

Eruption Statistics & Analysis

Metric	Value	Global Ranking	Significance
Total Recorded Eruptions	Unknown	Low	Moderately active volcano
Maximum VEI	VEI Unknown	Minor	Local impact potential
Recent Activity	Unknown	Historical	Historically active

Monitoring & Alert Status

Monitoring Networks

Global Volcanism Program

International eruption database

Current Status

Normal

No recent activity. Routine monitoring continues.

Nearby Volcanoes in Eastern Africa Volcanic Regions

Regional Volcanic Activity

The Eastern Africa Volcanic Regions contains multiple active volcanic systems. Cross-regional magma interactions and tectonic stresses can influence eruption patterns across the entire arc. Monitor regional seismic activity and volcanic alerts.

Quick Info

•Smithsonian ID: 221071
•Evidence: Evidence Credible
•Epoch: Holocene

About the Photo

The summit of Borale Ale (upper left) consists of a silicic stratovolcano that is the largest of the Erte Ale Range. Spatter cones aligned along regional fissures can be seen in the foreground and an altered lava dome forms the light-colored cone above the fissures. Strong fumarolic activity occurs within a 300-m-wide crater on the 668-m-high summit of the volcano. Regional faulting has resulted in recent basaltic lava flows from a NNW-trending fissure that cuts the stratovolcano.

Copyrighted photo by Marco Fulle, 2002 (Stromboli On-Line, http://stromboli.net).