Volcano in Ethiopia is releasing unusually large plumes of methane

A volcano in Ethiopia is spewing unusually large volumes of methane from its crater, according to satellite measurements of the potent greenhouse gas. This comes after hundreds of earthquakes have shaken the region over the past few months, prompting tens of thousands of people to evacuate ahead of a potential eruption.

A European Union satellite was the first to detect methane in the region around Mount Fentale, an active volcano in the Great Rift valley about 120 kilometres east of Ethiopia’s largest city, Addis Ababa. This…