[3] Erta Ale is 613 metres (2,011 ft) high, with one or sometimes two active lava lakes at the summit which occasionally overflow on the south side of the volcano.

Specifically, it lies almost at the end of the southern Red Sea rift, where tectonic extension (via normal faults) proceeds in conjunction with igneous intrusions to generate a new oceanic crust between Africa and Arabia.

[8] A major eruption occurred on 25 September 2005 which killed 250 heads of livestock and forced thousands of nearby residents to flee.

[18] The Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (ARDUF) claimed responsibility for the attack[19] and released the two kidnapped tourists in March 2012.

The lava lake on Erta Ale was shown briefly during the 2010 movie Clash of the Titans during the journey sequence where Perseus travels to the underworld.