Suggested Searches

 

4 min read

Hayli Gubbi’s Explosive First Impression

Image of the Day for December 4, 2025

In its first documented eruption, the Ethiopian volcano sent a plume of gas and ash drifting across continents.

NASA Earth Observatory

Dec 04, 2025
Article
View more Images of the Day:
A satellite image of glaciers in southeastern Alaska is overlaid with ice-velocity measurements from January, before spring melt. The glacier segment flowing down from the mountains on the right appears in red, indicating high ice velocities, while the portion spreading across the coastal plain to the left is shown in white and pink, representing slower movement.
Dec 3, 2025
Instruments:
Topics:
November 15, 2025
November 23, 2025
A satellite image shows parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea on the left, the Red Sea in the center, and Yemen on the right. Most of the land appears dry and in shades of light brown. A label indicates the location of the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia amid an area of darker volcanic rock.
A satellite image shows parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea on the left, the Red Sea in the center, and Yemen on the right. Most of the land appears dry and in shades of light brown. A label indicates the location of the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia amid an area of darker volcanic rock.
NASA Earth Observatory
A satellite image shows parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea on the left, the Red Sea in the center, and Yemen on the right. A large plume of volcanic ash drifts east-northeast across the scene from the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia.
A satellite image shows parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea on the left, the Red Sea in the center, and Yemen on the right. A large plume of volcanic ash drifts east-northeast across the scene from the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia.
NASA Earth Observatory
A satellite image shows parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea on the left, the Red Sea in the center, and Yemen on the right. Most of the land appears dry and in shades of light brown. A label indicates the location of the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia amid an area of darker volcanic rock.
A satellite image shows parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea on the left, the Red Sea in the center, and Yemen on the right. Most of the land appears dry and in shades of light brown. A label indicates the location of the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia amid an area of darker volcanic rock.
NASA Earth Observatory
A satellite image shows parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea on the left, the Red Sea in the center, and Yemen on the right. A large plume of volcanic ash drifts east-northeast across the scene from the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia.
A satellite image shows parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea on the left, the Red Sea in the center, and Yemen on the right. A large plume of volcanic ash drifts east-northeast across the scene from the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia.
NASA Earth Observatory
November 15, 2025
November 23, 2025

On November 23, 2025, the Hayli Gubbi volcano in northern Ethiopia erupted in dramatic fashion. The shield volcano in the Danakil (or Afar) Depression began spewing ash and volcanic gases at around 11:30 a.m. local time (8:30 Universal Time) that day, marking its first documented explosive eruption. The plume reached into the upper troposphere and drifted northeast, eventually crossing over northern India and China and disrupting flights.

The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired the image above (right) of the eruption, about 4 hours after it was first detected. Other satellite data indicated the plume reached 15 kilometers (9 miles) above sea level and contained approximately 0.2 teragrams (220,000 tons) of sulfur dioxide, according to a Global Volcanism Program report. Another light-colored cloud, likely of pyroclastic material, is visible spreading to the north and appears to be on or close to the ground, the report stated. For comparison, the left image was acquired with the same sensor on November 15, before the eruption.

In this remote area of East Africa, tectonic plates are moving away from each other, which allows magma to rise to the surface and feed several active volcanoes. Due in part to Hayli Gubbi’s remote setting, geologists are unsure when Hayli Gubbi last erupted. Geologic evidence suggests it was within the past 8,000 years, though experts speculate it may have been within the past few centuries.

Hayli Gubbi lies about 12 kilometers (7 miles) south-southeast of Ethiopia’s most active volcano, Erta Ale, where a lava lake has roiled for decades. After Erta Ale’s most recent eruption in July 2025, scientists tracked the movement of magma beneath the surface using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) measurements and other techniques. They found that magma propagated south from Erta Ale, passing beneath Hayli Gubbi and beyond.

A satellite image shows a volcanic landscape in northern Ethiopia. Small white clouds hover around craters of two shield volcanoes, including Erta Ale toward the top left and Hayli Gubbi in the bottom right. Areas of dark lava are present throughout, and sinuous flows run roughly east and west from the volcanoes. A gray and tan layer of ash covers the ground in the upper right half of the image.
November 24, 2025

Low-level activity was observed at Hayli Gubbi beginning in late July and included sulfur dioxide emissions, lingering white clouds in its summit crater, and upward ground displacement measuring several centimeters, according to the Centre for Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics (COMET). The magma intrusion following Erta Ale’s eruption likely triggered the activity, said COMET co-director Juliet Biggs in a recorded statement.

Hayli Gubbi’s eruption was brief, subsiding by November 25, but caused visible changes to the land surface. Ash covered large areas, which included nearby villages in Ethiopia’s Afar region. Residents struggled with respiratory issues due to the ash fallout, and grass and water for livestock were contaminated, according to news reports.

The summit area of the volcano also took on a new appearance. The detailed view above, acquired with the OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on Landsat 9, shows the craters atop Hayli Gubbi and neighboring Erta Ale on November 24, 2025. The eruption enlarged Hayli Gubbi's existing crater, which is partially filled with a low-lying cloud in the image, and created two new craters to the southeast. Ash deposits cover older lava flows on the volcano’s slopes.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview, and Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

References & Resources

Downloads

A satellite image shows parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea on the left, the Red Sea in the center, and Yemen on the right. Most of the land appears dry and in shades of light brown. A label indicates the location of the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia amid an area of darker volcanic rock.

November 15, 2025

JPEG (935.03 KB)

A satellite image shows parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea on the left, the Red Sea in the center, and Yemen on the right. A large plume of volcanic ash drifts east-northeast across the scene from the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia.

November 23, 2025

JPEG (847.86 KB)

A satellite image shows a volcanic landscape in northern Ethiopia. Small white clouds hover around craters of two shield volcanoes, including Erta Ale toward the top left and Hayli Gubbi in the bottom right. Areas of dark lava are present throughout, and sinuous flows run roughly east and west from the volcanoes. A gray and tan layer of ash covers the ground in the upper right half of the image.

November 24, 2025

JPEG (4.89 MB)

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Krasheninnikova Remains Restless
3 min read

The volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula continues to erupt after centuries of quiescence.

Article
More Lava Fills Kilauea Crater
2 min read

The latest in a string of episodic eruptions produced voluminous fiery flows at the Hawaiian volcano’s summit.

Article
Ash Streams from Klyuchevskaya Sopka
3 min read

One of the most active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula is erupting yet again.

Article
Keep Exploring

Discover More from NASA Earth Science

Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters

Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox.

Earth Observatory Image of the Day

NASA's Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery.

Explore Earth Science

Earth Science Data