Audra's Blog

                       Ethiopia's Volcanic Activity     Ethiopia has around 53 Holocene Volcanos with  Erta'Ale volcano being the most active since 1967.  However, the most recent eruption in Ethiopia occurred in 2017 . Which happened to be by Erta'Ale, this volcanic eruption remained active until 2019. Ethiopia has so many volcanos primarily due to rifting in Africa, which causes Africa to break apart. This not only increases the number of volcanos Ethiopia receives but as well as dangerous eruptions.  Due to this increase, Ethiopia facing an increase in volcanoes and eruptions, they have faced 8 major volcanic eruptions. 4 of these eruptions were caused by the same 2 volcanoes. These volcanoes were,  Dubbi, Dabbahu, the Manda Hararo Rift, and Nabro.      To survive a volcanic eruption you must seek shelter indoors. However, if you can't find shelter indoors you must cover your face with any mask or cloth to avoid inhaling ash and smoke. However, these tips can vary

                            Ethiopia's Earthquakes and Seismicity Ethiopia has faced few earthquakes throughout the years. However, their earthquakes can cause large amounts of damage throughout Ethiopia. For example, in 1950, Ethiopia had a strong earthquake that had taken the lives of 70 people.       Their earthquakes are typically caused by their rifts. For example, the Ethiopian Rift system is connected to the East African Rift system makes the country seismically active.  Ethiopia has also been found to have 5 seismic zones! This makes Ethiopia even more prone to earthquakes, unfortunately. For the year 2023, Ethiopia has already faced 10 earthquakes, typically ranging from 4.4 to 5.5!  What Ethiopia can do is educate its citizens on how to react accordingly when facing an earthquake. Doing this can help save many lives from the consequences of an earthquake. The steps shown above are highly recommended in every country when trying to be safe from an earthquake.              

                                              Ethiopia's Location     Ethiopia can be found on the horn of Africa and is considered the 10th largest country in Africa according to Ethiopian Embassy.     Regarding Ethiopia's tectonic plates, Northern Ethiopia can be found near the African and Arabian plates . However,  Northern Ethiopia is located near these two plates, so they often experience destructive earthquakes from the African Plate. The African Plate is responsible for " several large earthquakes (with M > 7) that have occurred in the past.", according to Meghraoui, Mustapha. Whereas for the Arabian Plate is responsible for tsunamis, volcano eruptions, and earthquakes. The excessive flooding Ethiopians face can be caused by tsunamis and tidal waves from the Arabian plate.  However, due to Ethiopia's economy being poor, recovering from a flood or an earthquake can take some time. Not much can be done to prevent this, however, to keep people safe they sho