Mount Fentale

A volcano in Ethiopia is spewing unusually large volumes of methane from its crater, according to satellite measurements of the potent greenhouse gas.

This comes after hundreds of earthquakes have shaken the region over the past few months, prompting tens of thousands of people to evacuate ahead of a potential eruption.

A European Union satellite was the first to detect methane in the region around Mount Fentale, an active volcano in the Great Rift valley about 120 kilometres east of Ethiopia’s largest city, Addis Ababa.

Volcanic magma contains dissolved gases, which provide the driving force that causes most volcanic eruptions.

The most abundant volcanic gas is water vapor, which is harmless. However, significant amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen halides can also be emitted from volcanoes.

Depending on their concentrations, these gases are all potentially hazardous to people, animals, agriculture, and property.