BLAST FROM THE PAST

Volcano Erupts for the First Time in Almost 12,000 Years

The Smithsonian says it hasn’t erupted during this geological epoch.

A volcano has erupted for the first time in at least 12,000 years, spewing clouds of ash nine miles into the air. The Hayli Gubbi volcano in the Afar region of Ethiopia erupted on Sunday, with no casualties reported. According to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, this is its first eruption in this geological epoch, which began around 11,700 years ago. Local official Mohammed Seid said there is no record of the last time it erupted. He said, “While no human lives and livestock have been lost so far, many villages have been covered in ash and as a result their animals have little to eat.” Images posted by the Afar Communications Bureau show clouds of smoke billowing into the sky, rolling across open plains and looming over settlements. Hayli Gubbi is located in the geologically lively Rift Valley. According to the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center, its huge ash clouds have traveled as far as India, Oman, Yemen, and Pakistan. In a warning to citizens, the Afar Communications Bureau encouraged people to “take necessary precautions because the smoke and the pollution that has been created in the area can cause health problems.”