Hanish

Shield in Yemen

Key Facts

Elevation

422 m (1,385 ft)

Type

Shield

Location

13.720°, 42.730°

Region

Red Sea Rift Volcanic Province

Rock Type

Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone

Location

Loading map...

Overview

The Hanish Islands are formed from a series of volcanic vents along a NE-SW trend, and include the Holocene Great Hanish, Little Hanish, and many other small islands and submarine shoals. The Zukur-Hanish island group lies in shallow waters S of the Red Sea median trough. Spatter cones, cinder cones, and ash cones line the crest of the 20-km-long Great Hanish Island.

Short lava flows reach the coast on both sides of the island. Initial eruptions were phreatic, followed by the formation of basaltic cinder cones, spatter cones, and fluid lava flows.

Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment

Primary Hazards

Risk Level

Population at RiskModerate

Infrastructure RiskModerate

Aviation RiskSignificant

Geological Composition & Structure

Rock Types

Primary

Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Silica Content

Low (45-52% SiO₂)

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone

Continental rift or intraplate setting with varied eruptive styles.

Age & Formation

Epoch

Holocene

Evidence

Evidence Credible

Eruption Statistics & Analysis

Metric	Value	Global Ranking	Significance
Total Recorded Eruptions	Unknown	Low	Moderately active volcano
Maximum VEI	VEI Unknown	Minor	Local impact potential
Recent Activity	Unknown	Historical	Historically active

Monitoring & Alert Status

Monitoring Networks

Global Volcanism Program

International eruption database

Current Status

Normal

No recent activity. Routine monitoring continues.

Nearby Volcanoes in Eastern Africa Volcanic Regions

Regional Volcanic Activity

The Eastern Africa Volcanic Regions contains multiple active volcanic systems. Cross-regional magma interactions and tectonic stresses can influence eruption patterns across the entire arc. Monitor regional seismic activity and volcanic alerts.

Quick Info

•Smithsonian ID: 221022
•Evidence: Evidence Credible
•Epoch: Holocene

About the Photo

The 20-km-long island of Hanish is seen in this composite NASA Landsat image (with north to the top). Alignment of vents along a prominent NE-SW trend gives the island its elongated shape. Short lava flows reached the coast on both sides of the island, including a very youthful flow prominent on the NW coast. Initial phreatic eruptions were followed by the formation of basaltic tuff and spatter cones that produced fluid lava flows. Suyul Hanish Island lies at the bottom center, and other offshore island lie along the regional NE-SW trend.

NASA Landsat 7 image (worldwind.arc.nasa.gov)