Several earthquakes have been
located in Eastern part of Ethiopia since September 20th, 2005.
So far, more than 120 events are reported. These locations have either
been
located by EMSC or reported by the Yemenite network. EMSC locations
have been performed by merging the Yemenite data with data from other
networks.
- Information provided by the
Geophysical Observatory of Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia)
- This activity is magmato-tectonic activity with major
tectonic deformation. The center of the deformation is a volcanic vent
where considerable amount of felsic ash (10-15 cm thick) erupted. The
smell of the sulfur is so terrible and you can hear a boiling noise
beneath the center of the vent. You can also see smokes here and there.
The area was aseismic in recent times and now this is another witness
that the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea oceanic rifts are infact shaking
hands in Afar. Map of locations (from USGS).
Atalay
Ayele (PhD.Seismologist)
e-mail: atalay@geobs.aau.edu.et
or atawon@yahoo.com
Photos of the rupture area
- Information from
the
U.S. ambassy in Addis-Ababa (published in All American
Patriots)
- Mount Arteala, a long-dormant volcano in the Afar
Region’s Teru Woreda, erupted on September 26, triggered by an
earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5. A subsequent tremor in early
October led to further volcanic activity, damaging roads and covering
large areas of pasture with lava and volcanic ash. Ethiopia’s Disaster
Prevention and Preparedness Commission reported that the eruption
displaced thousands of people from Dadaho and Boyana kebeles in Teru
Woreda.
- Although there were no human casualties, an estimated
1,000 livestock, including sheep, goats, and camels were killed, with
extensive damage to roads and water points. The exact number of people
affected remains unconfirmed, but officials estimate that 6,500 have
been displaced and up to 50,000 people may need to evacuate the area
due to the continuing volcanic activity.
As
shown on the Number of events per day,
the seismic activity has now decreased. This clustering of
seismic activity in time is not unusual.
Disclaimer : the
location accuracy may not be homogenous for all events.
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