Ethiopian Traps volcanism

E38214
continental flood basalt event flood basalt province large igneous province

Ethiopian Traps volcanism refers to a massive flood basalt event in northeastern Africa that produced extensive lava flows and played a key role in shaping the region’s topography and geology.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
African superplume 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf continental flood basalt event ⓘ
flood basalt province ⓘ
large igneous province ⓘ
associatedWith continental breakup of Africa and Arabia ⓘ
crustal doming ⓘ
lithospheric thinning ⓘ
syn-rift magmatism ⓘ
eruptionAgeEnd about 29 million years ago ⓘ
eruptionAgeStart about 31 million years ago ⓘ
forms Ethiopian Plateau basalt cover ⓘ
hasAge Oligocene ⓘ
Paleogene ⓘ
hasCause East African Rift ⓘ
surface form: Afar plume

mantle plume activity ⓘ
hasDuration geologically short-lived main eruptive phase ⓘ
hasEconomicImpact hosts geothermal resources ⓘ
influences groundwater aquifers in basaltic terrains ⓘ
provides construction stone from basalt flows ⓘ
hasFeature caldera complexes ⓘ
dike swarms ⓘ
extensive subaerial lava flows ⓘ
feeder dikes ⓘ
shield volcanoes ⓘ
stacked basaltic flow sequences ⓘ
thick plateau basalts ⓘ
trap-step topography ⓘ
volcanic plateaus ⓘ
hasRockType basalt ⓘ
flood basalt ⓘ
mafic volcanic rock ⓘ
tholeiitic basalt ⓘ
hasVolume hundreds of thousands of cubic kilometers of basalt ⓘ
influenced drainage patterns of the Blue Nile ⓘ
drainage patterns of the Tekeze River ⓘ
regional topography of the Ethiopian Highlands ⓘ
locatedIn Ethiopia ⓘ
Ethiopian Highlands ⓘ
surface form: Ethiopian Plateau

northeastern Africa ⓘ
overlies Mesozoic sedimentary rocks ⓘ
Precambrian basement rocks ⓘ
partOf East African Rift ⓘ
surface form: East African Rift System
relatedTo Afar Triangle ⓘ
surface form: Afar Triple Junction

East African Rift ⓘ
surface form: East African Rift development

Gulf of Aden rifting ⓘ
Red Sea rifting ⓘ
studiedFor continental flood basalt processes ⓘ
links between large igneous provinces and climate change ⓘ
mantle plume dynamics ⓘ

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

East African Rift → drivenBy → Ethiopian Traps volcanism ⓘ
this entity surface form: African superplume
Ethiopian Highlands → formedBy → Ethiopian Traps volcanism ⓘ