Erta Ale Range is the most important axial volcanic chain of the Afar Depression

Afar Depression

The Afar Triangle is a geological depression that is caused by the Afar Triple Junction which is part of the Great Rift Valley. It overlaps Eritrea, Djibouti and the entire Afar Region of Ethiopia. The Afar Triangle includes the Danakil Depression and the lowest point in Africa, Lake Asal...

, Afar Region

Afar Region

Afar is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, and is the homeland of the Afar people. Formerly known as Region 2, its current capital is Asayita; a new capital named Semera on the paved Awash - Asseb highway is under construction....

, Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

. It consists mostly of shield volcano

Shield volcano

A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. They are named for their large size and low profile, resembling a warrior's shield. This is caused by the highly fluid lava they erupt, which travels farther than lava erupted from more explosive volcanoes...

es. The active volcano Erta Ale

Erta Ale

Erta Ale is a continuously active basaltic shield volcano in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia, the most active volcano in Ethiopia. It is in the Afar Depression, a badlands desert area spanning the border with Eritrea, and the volcano itself is surrounded completely by an area below sea...

 is a prominent feature of the range. The highest volcano of the range is Ale Bagu

Ale Bagu

Ale Bagu is a stratovolcano located in the Afar Region, Ethiopia. It is the highest volcano of Erta Ale Range. The village of El Dom sits at the base of Ale Bagu....

, with an elevation of 1031 m (3,383 ft) above sea level.

Other named peaks (with their elevations) include Allu (429 m (1,407 ft)), Dala Filla (613 m (2,011 ft)), and Borale Ale (668 m (2,192 ft)).

Erta Ale

This volcano is the most active in Ethiopia and rises to 613 m (2,011 ft) at its highest point. It is one of many shield volcanoes in the area and is 50 km (31 mi) wide with a 1.6 kilometre (0.994196378639691 mi) elliptical summit containing many steep pit craters

Pit crater

A pit crater is a depression formed by a sinking of the ground surface lying above a void or empty chamber, rather than by the eruption of a volcano or lava vent. It is often found in chains or troughs. Several craters may merge into a linear alignment...

. It has perpetually active pit craters are renowned for their churning lava lakes

Lava Lakes

The Lava Lakes are a group of small lakes at the head of Lava Fork in the Boundary Ranges of northwestern British Columbia, Canada.The Volcano, a cinder cone about north of the British Columbia-Alaska border on the eastern shore of the Lava Lakes, is the source for lava flows that overwhelm the...

.