Tat Ali

Shield in Ethiopia

Key Facts

Elevation

655 m (2,149 ft)

Type

Shield

Location

13.284°, 41.063°

Region

Afar Rift Volcanic Province

Rock Type

Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone

Location

Loading map...

Overview

Tat Ali volcano is the dominant feature of the Tat Ali Range, east of Lake Afrera. The low Holocene shield volcano has an elongated summit depression and has produced a variety of rock types, ranging from basalts to pantellerites. NNW-SSE-trending fissures cutting the volcano have fed basaltic lava flows; those NE of Lake Afrera are of prehistorical age.

Late-stage volcanism produced youthful basaltic lava flows on the floor of the summit depression, which is also the site of prominent fumarolic activity.

Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment

Primary Hazards

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: 221106
•Evidence: Evidence Credible
•Epoch: Holocene

About the Photo

The Tat Ali volcanic massif extends across the right-hand side of this NASA Landsat image, east of Lake Afrera (center). This basaltic-to-pantelleritic shield volcano displays an elongated central depression partially filled by recent basaltic lava flows. The dark-colored flows at the upper right were erupted from fissures at the northern end of the Tat Ali complex. Borawli volcano lies at the right-center, between Tat Ali and Lake Afrera (also known as Lake Giulietti), and the lava flows at the upper left are from the flanks of the Hayli Dubbi complex.

NASA Landsat image, 1999 (courtesy of Hawaii Synergy Project, Univ. of Hawaii Institute of Geophysics & Planetology).