The first documented eruption of the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia is shown in this true color corrected reflectance image captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua platform. The volcano erupted on November 23, 2025, around 11:30 a.m. local time (3:00 a.m. EST) and the image above was acquired about 4 hours after the initial eruption.
Read more about Hayli Gubbi’s Explosive First Impression.
The volcanic eruption produced a significant gas-and-ash plume that reached 10-15 km (32,800-50,000 ft) above sea level. Press the "Play" button in the lower left corner to watch the progression of the plume, as represented by the blue Sulfur Dioxide layer, days after the initial eruption. The plume contained about 220,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and reached as far as China.
The Sulfur Dioxide (Middle Troposphere) layer indicates the column density of sulfur dioxide in the middle troposphere (corresponding to 7.5 km center of mass altitude) and is measured in Dobson Units (DU). This layer can be used in studies on moderate eruptions and long-range transport of sulfur pollution.
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