Lava lake. Fire Lake Erta Ale

Seeing photographs of this volcano I immediately remembered Volcano Nyiragongo ! Well, look, it’s even easy to confuse them. Perhaps I had seen both volcanoes on the Internet before, I didn’t think that they were the same. Let's take a closer look at this lake of fire!

In the northeast of Ethiopia, in the Danakil Desert, is located active volcano Erta Ale, in the crater of which you can see streams of molten lava escaping from the very center of the earth. Due to the constant activity, as a result of which clouds of smoke appear over the surface of the volcano every now and then, the Erta Ale volcano got its name, translated into Russian as “Smoking Volcano”.

This is the most inaccessible volcano on the planet. This is not one volcano, but a whole chain called Erta Ale. This is the only volcano in the world that has two lava lakes at once.

Erta Ale is a basalt shield volcano, one of five volcanoes on our planet, in the heart of which there is a lava lake. But only Erta Ale has not one, but two such sites. The tectonic pattern on the surface of the lava lakes of the Erta Ale volcano is constantly changing. Here you can see both long-frozen areas of magma, forming a thin crust, and very fresh, easily destroyed islands. This process is accompanied by chaotic bursts of bright red molten lava and emissions of accumulated gas. According to the chemical composition of the Erta Ale magma, it is compared with deep-sea volcanoes located in the middle part mountain range at the bottom of the ocean. In both cases, a low content of silicic acid in the magma is observed.

The Afar tectonic basin is a piece of land melted by magma between three tectonic plates. The Danakil Desert is the hottest and most inhospitable desert on the planet. The desert was never hospitable for travelers, especially because of the cruel customs of the Afars; one of their favorite rites was castration.

At the bottom of a huge destroyed crater is the Erta Ale lava lake. The lake is surrounded by faults that were formed by mini tremors that can throw whole chunks out of the lake. The lava in the lake is more seething than that of the Nyiragongo volcano, which also has a lava lake.

A lava lake is a huge accumulation of magma that is gradually mixed by currents. These currents arise from the bowels of the earth and never stop, so the hot magma rises higher, comes to the surface, cools, and sinks again; this process is called convective exchange. Since the lava lake exists for quite a long time for the warm flows that change the lake, it becomes necessary to compensate for the heat loss of the flows on the surface due to their further subsidence. This balance is very fragile and complex. When this balance is disrupted, the lake cools, as happened in 2004. The lake remained in a frozen state for 20 months, it froze, became like soil, and you could walk on it. A lava lake is part of the life of a volcano; Erta Ale did not always have such a lake because it arose under water. Erta Ale grew to its current size in about 3 - 4 million years.

The first evidence of the emergence of a lava lake on Erta Ale dates back to 1890. No one got here then, but thanks to the red reflections, one could assume that there was a lava lake at the top. The first explorers appeared here in 1960, by which time there was documented evidence of the presence of a lake of fire.

Here a delicate balance is maintained between the surface of the lake, air temperature and recharge from below. Hot lava rises from the belly, cools, forming a black shell, and immediately rolls down, displaced from its pedestal by a new portion of hot stones rising from below. Sometimes the pressure reaches such proportions that the lake literally explodes, throwing fiery splashes to a height of up to 40 meters.

Approximately every 30 years, the volcano shows its true strength, forcing everyone living in the surrounding area to flee.

The volcano has become more unpredictable in recent years. If in 2004 the lake in the crater of the volcano turned into a tectonic stronghold, remaining in this state for almost 20 months, then in November 2010 the volcano woke up with unexpected force. The eruption was accompanied by tremors that significantly affected the state of faults in northeast Africa. Scientists are closely monitoring changes in the volcano's activity, as it is located in an important seismic zone called the Afar Triangle. Noticeable plate shifts and an increase in the width of faults can significantly change geographical map our planet, in particular, affect the entire continent of Africa.

Year after year, persistently overcoming all difficulties dangerous journey, about 500-1000 tourists and researchers get to the crater of the volcano. Being so close to the center of the volcano is incredibly difficult due to the high air temperature (about 50°C) and acidic fumes. Moreover, to get to the lava lakes in the crater of the volcano, you need to walk about 13 km.

A few tourists can approach the very edge of the crater; there are no fences or restrictions - it is suggested to use common sense.

The spectacle is mesmerizing, as the lake lives its own life - lava splashes out, solidifies, cracks, breaks, sinks in pieces in fresh magma and all this is accompanied by flashes of glow, a cacophony of sounds and jets of steam.

This is how the blogger describes his trip to the volcano vikaspb :

it's worth it, the impressions you get by standing for half an hour on the edge and looking into the real Hell of the boiling magmatic Lake Erta Ale….

In January 2011, I finally made it to the north of Ethiopia, which I had been dreaming about for almost a year. Getting there is not so easy, and not exactly cheap. To reduce costs, 9 more travel companions were found, 4 vehicles were ordered that could withstand complete off-road conditions, sand, lava fields, and acidic soils.

Almost 3 days of travel…..One car broke down in the sands and had to be abandoned; in the remaining 3, in addition to us, 10, 4 drivers, a guide, 2 cooks, a couple more armed guards were placed for protection ( they would have seated more, but there was no more room, some had to ride on the roof))) and even in the trunk). Before approaching the volcano, we passed a local village in the Afar province, where they paid quite a decent amount for travel through their territory and took 1 more person:

We arrived at the camp at the foot of the volcano quite late, almost 5 pm. We wanted to do it earlier, but due to constant car breakdowns, we lost a lot of time. And we still had to march towards the crater - almost 13.5 km along the lava field! Taking some water, putting on a photo backpack and a tripod, me and two other frisky guys *ran* to the top in 2.5 hours!)))))) By the end we could barely stand our legs, but we were not going to give up the main thing - the hike to the Crater itself .

The spectacle struck us even as we approached......Darkness, the crunch of lava underfoot, constantly looking for a place where you can step and where not (with the light of a flashlight, little is clear), and...a fiery glow over the Crater! The ejection of magma is accompanied by a strong emission of gases, which, illuminated from below, form an unrealistically beautiful plume...

We made our way to this crater for almost an hour, trying to feel *solid* soil in the darkness.....To say that it was scary is to say nothing...To say that it was mortally dangerous is also to say nothing. The risk of this event is 100 percent. It was not easy for us to run across a frozen lava field; we were on the upper thin magmatic crust. And at any moment they could fall into any *pit* with the boiling brew of the Earth. At some point this happened to me - the thin upper layer broke and the knee-deep leg went inside, from where heat wafted out. I almost panicked, because I well remembered my trip to Guatemala, with a hike to the Pacaya volcano, where we wandered 3 meters from the flowing lava, and all the cracks around were glowing with heat. And... thank God, everything worked out....

Crater……

An incredible spectacle of real HELL!! A huge cauldron with gurgling and boiling liquid. Fascinating….attracts….and frightens…..

I was asked here: why go to Ethiopia?
And I immediately said: “How?! Why?! There’s a lake full of lava!”

And then it cooled down, which is what the lava realized. Probably my delight is difficult to understand for those who have never seen it.
Alas, my brain and heart are forever scorched by the heat of the Tolbachik lava. And having seen this once, I wanted to repeat the banquet. I wanted to feel this unreal heat again with every cell of my skin, to hear this rustling and crackling with which the lava crawls out of the bowels of the Earth.
But they are in the past. But there is the Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia. Oddly enough, it is considered almost the most accessible volcano with a lava lake.

Erta Ale is a volcano located in the remote Afar region of northeastern Ethiopia. The name of the volcano means “smoking mountain”.

The Erta Ale volcano is located in the Danakil Desert; it lies below sea level and is part of the so-called “Afar Triangle” - a zone of strong volcanic activity.

Around lunchtime we arrived at the place where trekking to the volcano begins.
The volcano was visible on the horizon and was not impressive. Not a volcano, but some kind of misunderstanding.

The sun was not hot enough for a child. The air temperature was approaching the boiling point of my brain.
Judging by the sadness of my colleagues - not just mine.
Even a short three-hour trek in such heat poses a danger to unprepared organisms. So before sunset we were offered to settle down in huts, where it was still hot and stuffy, but at least the sun was scorching.

Again, a good chance to get some sleep before a sleepless night.
But I couldn’t sleep and couldn’t sit down. There is a volcano and lava nearby, and here we are...
I wandered around the area impatiently.

Towards evening, military personnel marched towards the volcano. I really wanted to hope that we wouldn’t need them. But rules are rules. The movement of tourists in this region without armed guards is prohibited.

And finally, hurray! The sun crept towards the horizon, and they began to serve us dinner.
- Eat more! Drink more!

I still didn't feel like eating.
Do you want to lose weight? Ask me how...

All things during trekking are carried on camels.
The truth of the things is there: mattresses, water and tourists who cannot get up on their own.

At sunset we began our climb.

The climb itself is an easy walk lightly. In the dark, however, nothing is visible. So you won't be able to admire the scenery. Moreover, you need to be very careful. I literally took a couple of steps to the side, letting the camels pass, and immediately fell into a cavity formed by lava. She escaped with a slight fright and a completely torn leg.

But as soon as it got dark, there were red flashes in the direction where the lava lake was.

Having reached the place where we spent the night, we took a short rest and immediately went to the crater with the lake.

In photographs on the Internet, the lake looks like this: a crater and somewhere far below there is a lake with lava.
But what we saw exceeded all expectations. Over the past five years, the lava level in the lake has risen by 30 meters. As a result, you come and see - here it is lava. At least eat it with a spoon. If, of course, you can get a fireproof suit.

At night the lake looks very impressive. Darkness. Bright red lines constantly changing patterns. And periodically, like fireworks, one or another bubble with lava explodes.

The rustle of a lava flow and a slowly creeping fiery mass.

However, in the dark it is difficult to assess the scale of the lake, the crater and the surrounding reality.

So, after a couple of hours of listening to fireworks, streams, rustling, we returned to camp.

Everyone chose a place to their liking where to throw the mattress, among sleeping people, stone barriers and camels.
The hotel of a thousand stars welcomed its guests.
As I fell asleep, I habitually waved my hand to Orion, who was spread out directly above my head.

But we slept for literally a couple of hours.
In complete darkness, before dawn, we returned to the lake again. The guys were going to take pictures from a quadcopter. As a result, Borya shot everything he wanted and even made a film.

And we just watched how the sky brightened and the colors changed.

Sasha stubbornly tried to take a selfie in the car mirror (don’t ask why). Borya filmed this wonderful spectacle.

Lava beat in a nervous fit into the banks, observing this spectacle.

In the end, as usual, my mother came and did everything.
Vidocq, of course, is still the same after a sleepless night. Not best time for selfies.

Meanwhile, everything around was becoming brighter. And that's all more people approached to watch the sunrise.

In the light, the lava was not so brightly fiery. But no less spectacular.
In addition, all the gurgles and overflows could be seen better.

The sun was in no hurry to come out. Everyone stood as close as possible to the lava. Well, as hot as it gets.

And hooray! The sun has risen!

In the north-east of Ethiopia, in the Danakil Desert, there is an active Erta Ale volcano, in the crater of which you can see streams of molten lava escaping from the very center of the earth. Due to the constant activity, as a result of which clouds of smoke appear over the surface of the volcano every now and then, the Erta Ale volcano got its name, translated into Russian as “Smoking Volcano”.

Erta Ale is a basalt shield volcano, one of five volcanoes on our planet, in the heart of which there is a lava lake. But only Erta Ale has not one, but two such sites. The tectonic pattern on the surface of the lava lakes of the Erta Ale volcano is constantly changing. Here you can see both long-frozen areas of magma, forming a thin crust, and very fresh, easily destroyed islands. This process is accompanied by chaotic bursts of bright red molten lava and emissions of accumulated gas. The chemical composition of Erta Ale's magma is compared to deep-sea volcanoes located in the middle part of a mountain range on the ocean floor. In both cases, a low content of silicic acid in the magma is observed.

The volcano has become more unpredictable in recent years. If in 2004 the lake in the crater of the volcano turned into a tectonic stronghold, remaining in this state for almost 20 months, then in November 2010 the volcano woke up with unexpected force. The eruption was accompanied by tremors, which significantly affected the state of the faults in the northeast. Scientists are closely monitoring changes in the volcano's activity, as it is located in an important seismic zone called the Afar Triangle. Noticeable plate shifts and an increase in the width of faults can significantly change the geographical map of our planet, in particular, affect the entire continent of Africa.

From year to year, steadfastly overcoming all the difficulties of a dangerous journey, about 500-1000 tourists and researchers reach the crater of the volcano. Being so close to the center of the volcano is incredibly difficult due to the high air temperature (about 50°C) and acidic fumes. Moreover, to get to the lava lakes in the crater of the volcano, you need to walk about 13 km.

Erta Ale Volcano - PHOTO

Hot Ethiopia has many natural attractions. Interestingly, they are completely opposite in appearance. The picturesque Lake Tana, which is a real breath of life among the hot deserts, national parks, savannas and many kilometers of desert sands, amazing volcanoes. Erta Ale Volcano is a landmark of Ethiopia, which is as famous throughout the world as it is fantastic.

Ancient volcano in Ethiopia

“Smoking Mountain” is how the name of this hot “lake” is translated from the local dialect. Erta Ale is located below sea level in the “Afar Triangle”, where there is constant volcanic activity.

The volcano's caldera measures 1.6 x 0.7 km. By origin it is a basaltic shield volcano. Since 1967, troubled education has periodically troubled environment new lava emissions.

Lava lake in the Erta Ale crater

In the north-east of the country, in the hot Afar region, there is a famous lake, in the crater of which a hot lake splashes, in which instead of water there is viscous boiling lava. There are only five similar volcanoes in the world. Erta Ale “distinguished himself” here too. It is the only one in which there are two boiling lakes at once!

From a bird's eye view, the boiling water looks very beautiful. Red-orange fiery stripes are visible on its surface, the pattern of which is constantly changing. At times, lava overflows the bowl of the lake of fire and flows out in powerful streams.

In 2007, a flow of hot lava formed a new pattern. February 2010 was the starting point when the lava level began to rise rapidly. 30 meters - and in November of the same year, hot drops rose into the air with pops and explosions.

Erta Ale Research

One of the unique wonders of nature attracts daredevils who are not afraid of high temperatures and risk to life. Researchers began studying lava lakes in depth in 1971. The expedition, led by Harun Taziev, for the first time carried out a thorough analysis of the lava and the state of the volcano.

The gases coming to the surface were heated to 1220C. The power of thermal radiation reached 30 kW per 1 sq. meter. The temperature in the molten mass was incredible: about +600C on the surface of the volcanic crust, and at a depth of 60-70 cm it reached +900C!

Mysterious and scorched by the hot sun, it hides many surprises. The unusual Erta Ale volcano is a natural attraction that is both dangerous and attractive at the same time.

Lava lakes of Erta Ale volcano photo

One of the most inaccessible volcanoes in the world is Erta Ale. The Great African Rift, 6,000 kilometers long, is located in northern Ethiopia. Deep in the tectonic basin, the earth's crust, under enormous pressure, is torn into three plates, which move away from each other, dividing Africa. Afar Basin (Afar Basin) is located in the active part of the rift, which arose due to volcanic activity.

Features of the Erta Ale volcano

Erta Ale, a mystical volcano located in the Danakil Depression. The Danakil Depression, a piece of land heated by magma, is the most unpredictable geological zone on the planet. The Afar Desert is considered the most inhospitable and hottest on the planet. This desert has always scared off explorers, including because of the cruel customs of the Afar tribes.

Erta Ale is the most inaccessible volcano given its remoteness, temperature changes and hostile environment around. At the bottom of a huge caldera there is a unique lava lake called Erta Ale. There are concentric faults around the lake, constant tremors collapse entire layers along the edges of the crater.

A lava lake is the result of a confluence of many factors; it is a huge accumulation of magma fed from a deep source with its own flow. The hot magma comes out, cools and sinks again, convection occurs. In order for a lava lake to exist for years, it is necessary that the heat of the hot stream feeding the lake exactly compensates for the loss of heat from the surface stream, which then goes back to depth. This mixing of matter is a very fragile and unstable balance. As soon as this balance is disrupted, the lake cools down; for example, in 2004 it froze for 20 months.

A lava lake is just a moment in the life of a volcano, Erta Ale emerged from the depths of the sea and gradually formed about 4 million years ago. The first evidence of the presence of a lava lake in this place dates back to 1890, then no one saw it, but red flashes in the sky clearly indicated the presence of such a phenomenon. The first person to see Erta Ale with his own eyes was Garun Taziev in 1960. The oval caldera is 1800 meters long and 750 meters wide. The volcano has two craters - southern and northern.

A caldera is a huge volcanic crater that requires a very strong eruption that will empty part of the magma reservoir or the entire reservoir. Then, when the magma pocket is emptied, the magma no longer supports the roof of the reservoir and the volcano itself collapses inward, forming a caldera. The caldera is often the same size as the magma reservoir. Over the years, lava filled the caldera to the brim, and it flowed down the southern and northern sides of the crater.

Erta Ale, mystical mountain

Erta Ale - means smoking mountain, Afar legend says that you cannot approach its peak because the spirits of shepherds on winged horses rush around it and do not let anyone near it.

A stream of hot, light magma rises and flows across the surface, cools down, becomes heavier, and again sinks to depth, where it dissolves in the magma. The lake is fed from a deep source - a magma reservoir, and below it is a source that feeds the rift. The surface of the lake is cooling, but it is still hot and soft, and under the pressure of fresh, constantly rising magma, it folds.

At the other end of the caldera, the Erta Ale volcano, the southern crater is located, there is active fumarole activity. In the depths of the crater, ornithos smoke; they are formed from clots of lava that are layered on top of each other, creating small conical structures. This lake was active until 1987, churning just a few meters from the crater ridge, and then it froze for many years. In 2004, lava suddenly appeared in just four days, the whole sky was ablaze with a glow, it was visible 80 kilometers from the volcano.

In the northern and southern craters, there was a time during two years from 1972 to 1974 when both lava lakes overflowed at the same time for two years. Lava filled the caldera to the brim, and then began to flow down the slopes of the volcano on the southern and northern sides.

On the Erta Ale volcano there are goddesses of fire, strength and creation - these are very thin threads of hot ash stretched by the wind, stretching they take the form of long and thin hair. The gases escaping from the volcano consist mainly of steam, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, methane and a rare gas such as radon.

A lava lake is the top of a magma column that has reached the surface - a kind of window into the bowels of the earth. This lake is permanently connected to a magma chamber located at a depth of 2 kilometers. The subject of research on lava lakes is extensive; for example, by installing microphones as close to the lake as possible, you can measure the pressure of gas bubbles emerging from the magma chamber and bursting on the surface. This way we can conclude about the depth of the volcanic vent, and sometimes about its diameter. Also, using a telemeter, you can accurately determine the level of the lake. Regular fluctuations of the lake are 2 - 3 meters, they are repeated every 2 - 4 hours. Aerial photography allows you to see regular changes in the relief of both craters, landslides, dips, swelling reaching tens of centimeters and even meters.