For three days a cloud of billowing ash dimmed the sun as the region's largest volcano, Erta Ale—"smoking mountain" in the Afar language—erupted. What set off these startling events?

The group seeks the creation of an independent Afar homeland, which would include areas of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. Despite the risks, tourists continue to visit the volcano - found in the ...

Tectonic activity is usually evidenced by some of the world's most notable active volcanoes, but that's not the case here. Africa's Afar Depression serves as an unparalleled natural laboratory for ...