On November 23, the long‑dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted for the first time in 10,000 years, sending towering plumes of ash and smoke visible from space. The blast, about 500 miles (800 km) northeast of Addis Ababa, coated nearby villages in dust and threatened grazing lands vital to local livestock herders.
Though no casualties were reported, residents described the eruption as a sudden, explosive event that shook the ground and darkened the skies. The consequences quickly spread beyond Ethiopia. Satellite imagery shows ash drifting across the Red Sea into Yemen, Oman, Pakistan, and India.
Pakistan’s Meteorological Department issued warnings as volcanic clouds entered its airspace, while Air India canceled multiple flights to conduct precautionary checks on aircraft exposed to the ash. Furthermore, India’s Meteorological Department noted that Delhi’s pollution crisis would not worsen, as the ash remained at high altitude, but emphasized the plumes were moving rapidly eastward.
Indeed, history’s great eruptions remind us of the sudden violence hidden beneath the earth. Their power is measured by the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), a scale ranging from one to eight. Each level represents a tenfold increase in force.
Intrigued? Click on and discover the biggest volcano blasts in the world, according to VEI.