Preceding the eruption, the ground swelled and an earthquake swarm consisting of over 130 events occurred.

Ash from the eruption darkened the area surrounding the volcano for nearly 3 days.

Ash reached as far as the administrative center of Teru, located 40 km (25 mi) southwest of the volcano.

Researchers predict that the land along this region, known as the East African Rift, will eventually break away, creating a new island consisting of eastern Ethiopia and Djibouti with a new sea in between.

[5][6] Using seismic data from 2005, a research study predicted that this could occur in about one million years.