Alu-Dalafilla
Afar Rift Volcanic Province, Ethiopia. This page separates the permanent volcano catalogue, historical eruption records, and selective weekly activity reports.
- Coordinates
- 13.79° N, 40.55° E
- Elevation
- 578 m
- Last recorded eruption
- 2008 CE
- Historical eruption records
- 1
- Primary type
- Fissure vent(s)
- Evidence
- Eruption Observed
- GVP database
- 5.4.0
- Catalogue revision
- Revision 2
Volcano profile
- Volcanic landform
- Cluster
- Tectonic setting
- Rift zone / Intermediate crust (15-25 km)
- Geologic epoch
- Holocene
- Major rock type
- Basalt / Picro-Basalt
- Region
- Eastern Africa Volcanic Regions
- Subregion
- Afar Rift Volcanic Province
Geological summary
The summit region of Alu, ~5 km NW of the Dalafilla stratovolcano, is an ellipsoidal volcanic horst, elongated NNW-SSE, and formed primarily of older basaltic lava flows. Recent fractures along the axis of the Erta Ale range cut the main horst of Alu and areas to the SSE. Fumarolic activity is located on the numerous parallel faults. Fissure vents west of the horst have fed silicic lava flows, and voluminous youthful basaltic lava flows to the east extend north as far as Lake Bakili. Dalafilla, also referred to as Gabuli, is a steep-sided cone that rises 300 m above surrounding lava fields due to extrusion of viscous, silicic lava flows. Basaltic lava flows from regional fissures surround the volcano. Fumarolic activity occurs in the 100-m-wide summit crater and has weathered surrounding lava flows. The first historical eruption of Alu-Dalafilla took place in 2008, when lava flows from vents between the two edifices traveled NE.
Separate activity dataset
Weekly volcanic activity reports
Smithsonian/USGS weekly reports are selective and preliminary. They are not a comprehensive list of all eruptions or volcanic activity.
No weekly report appears on this page. Absence from the weekly report does not establish an absence of volcanic activity.
Historical catalogue records
Eruption history
Dates can be approximate, incomplete, or BCE. These are historical catalogue observations, not a statement about present activity.
| Start | End | Activity | Confirmation | VEI | Evidence | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-11-03 CE | 2008-12-16 CE (day qualifier ?, day uncertainty +/- 15) | Confirmed EruptionW and NW of Dalaffilla | Confirmed | ?3 | Observations: Reported | GVP 13927Database 5.4.0 |
Source and attribution
Source: Data: Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program, Volcanoes of the World.
View the original Smithsonian GVP recordGlobal Volcanism Program, 2026. Volcanoes of the World 5.4.0.
The GVP database is scientific documentation that changes as evidence is reviewed. Historical dates may be approximate or uncertain. This platform is not an official emergency-warning service.
Read the GVP terms of useData freshness
- Source updated
- Not supplied
- Retrieved
- 11 Oct 2026, 13:07 UTC
- GVP database version
- 5.4.0
- Catalogue revision
- 2
Source-update and retrieval times describe this catalogue record. Each weekly report carries its own publication date and preliminary status.