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Aluto (also known as Alutu) (2,365 metres (7,759 ft)) is a dormant stratovolcano in Ethiopia, located in the Ethiopian Rift Valley in southern Oromia region between Lake Langano and Lake Ziway. It is the site of the Aluto–Langano Geothermal Power Station.
| Aluto | |
|---|---|
  Aluto | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,365 m (7,759 ft) |
| Prominence | 765 m (2,510 ft) |
| Listing | List of volcanoes in Ethiopia |
| Coordinates | 7°47′13″N 38°46′16″E / 7.787°N 38.771°E |
| Geography | |
| Location | Ethiopia |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
| Last eruption | ~ 50 BC |
Geology
editIt features numerous vents along E-W and NNW-SSE trending fissures which converge at the coordinates of the volcano center, which is the center of a hypothesized caldera surrounded by rims, visible especially in the south and west. The largest vent is 1 km × 0.5 km in size just SE of the volcano center and along the SE rim of the volcano. The volcano covers a surface area of appr. 25 km2. The silicic volcano center has an eruption history of more than 500,000 years, the last eruption was around 2400 years ago.[1] Eruptions from Aluto may have influenced the dispersal of hominin populations in East Africa.[2]
Strong fumarolic activity continues throughout today. The volcano is permanently inflating and deflating with the strongest movements at the center of the hypothesized caldera, indicating some activity around 5 km below the volcano.[3]
Close to the center of the hypothetical caldera is the site of the high-temperature Aluto–Langano geothermal field with temperatures between 300 and 400 °C at depths below 1,200 meters. This geothermal field covers an area of about 8 km2.[4]
The field is also the site of the Aluto–Langano Geothermal Power Station, a pilot power plant to explore geothermal energy in Ethiopia.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Hutchison, William; Pyle, David M.; Mather, Tamsin A.; Yirgu, Gezahegn; Biggs, Juliet; Cohen, Benjamin E.; Barfod, Dan N.; Lewi, Elias (2016-12-15). "The eruptive history and magmatic evolution of Aluto volcano: new insights into silicic peralkaline volcanism in the Ethiopian rift". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 328: 9–33. doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2016.09.010. hdl:1983/22cb51bd-8146-41d2-a14f-5bac7e6f6b78. ISSN 0377-0273.
- ^ Hutchison, William; Fusillo, Raffaella; Pyle, David M.; Mather, Tamsin A.; Blundy, Jon D.; Biggs, Juliet; Yirgu, Gezahegn; Cohen, Benjamin E.; Brooker, Richard A.; Barfod, Dan N.; Calvert, Andrew T. (2016-10-18). "A pulse of mid-Pleistocene rift volcanism in Ethiopia at the dawn of modern humans". Nature Communications. 7 (1): 13192. doi:10.1038/ncomms13192. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 5071850. PMID 27754479.
- ^ "How to turn a volcano into a power station – with a little help from satellites". The Conversation. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ^ Selamawit Worku Sisay (November 2016). "Sub-surface Geology and Hydrothermal Alteration of Wells LA-9D and LA-10D of Aluto langano geothermal Field, Ethiopia" (PDF). Addis Ababa: Geological Survey of Ethiopia. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
External links
edit- "Aluto". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
- Alutu volcano
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