Zubair Group

Geography & Climate

Zubair Group is located in Yemen, within the Red Sea Rift Volcanic Province of the broader Eastern Africa Volcanic Regions. Situated at 15.05° N, 42.18° E in the Northern Hemisphere, the volcano lies within a tropical climate zone. At just 191 meters above sea level, Zubair Group is a relatively low-elevation volcanic feature. Despite its modest height, it remains an active geological formation with the same underlying magmatic processes as its taller counterparts. The volcanic landform is characterized as a shield, which describes the physical shape and structure of the volcanic edifice as observed from the surface.

Geological Context

Zubair Group is situated along a rift zone, where tectonic plates are pulling apart. As the crust thins and fractures, magma rises to fill the gap, creating volcanic activity. Rift volcanism typically produces more fluid lava flows rather than explosive blasts, which means communities near Zubair Group in Yemen generally face slower-moving hazards like lava flows and ground fissures rather than sudden pyroclastic events. However, rift volcanoes can still generate significant ash emissions and gas releases that affect local air quality. The dominant rock type is basalt / picro-basalt, a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock that forms from rapidly cooling, low-viscosity lava. Basaltic eruptions tend to be less explosive and produce fluid lava flows that can travel long distances. While less immediately dangerous than explosive eruptions, basaltic lava flows can destroy structures and infrastructure in their path, and volcanic gases released during these eruptions can affect air quality over a wide area.

Eruption History Summary

Zubair Group has 4 recorded eruptions in the geological database, spanning from 1824 CE to 2013 CE. The most powerful recorded event was an explosive event producing ash plumes up to several kilometers in 2013 CE, reaching VEI 2 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. These eruptions span roughly 189 years of volcanic history. With eruptive activity as recently as 2013 CE, Zubair Group remains an actively monitored volcano.

GVP Reference Summary

The 5-km-long Jebel Zubair Island is the largest of a group of small islands and submerged shoals that rise from a shallow platform in the Red Sea rift. The platform and eruptive vents forming the islands and shoals are oriented NNW-SSE, parallel to the rift. An early explosive phase was followed by a brief period of marine erosion, then by renewed explosive activity accompanied by the extrusion of basaltic pahoehoe lava flows. This latest phase of activity occurred on the morphologically youngest islands of Zubair, Centre Peak, Saba, and Haycock. Historical explosive activity was reported from Saddle Island in the 19th century. Spatter cones and pyroclastic cones were erupted along fissures that form the low spine of Zubair Island. Eruptions that began in late 2011 built two new islands, increasing the total number in the group to 12.

— Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program