Silent for 12K Years, Volcano Suddenly Erupts

A volcano in Ethiopia's Afar region erupted Sunday for the first time in recorded history, sending a massive plume of ash nine miles into the sky and disrupting life for local herders, reports the Guardian. The Hayli Gubbi volcano, about 500 miles northeast of Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, had no previous record of erupting at any time during the Holocene, which began with the end of the last ice age some 12,000 years ago, the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program reported. The volcano sits near the "triple junction" of the Arabian tectonic plate and the African plate's Nubian and Somali sections, per IFL Science.

The human population in the area is very low, and no fatalities or injuries have been reported. However, the volcano has covered nearby villages in ash, threatening the livelihoods of residents and the lives of their livestock. Local official Mohammed Seid said the ash left animals with "little to eat," raising concerns about the economic impact on the community, which relies heavily on herding. One resident described the eruption as feeling like a "sudden bomb" had gone off, accompanied by a shock wave. Officials say the ash cloud drifted across the Red Sea, reaching as far as Yemen, Oman, India, and northern Pakistan. Flight disruptions have been reported.