Erta Ale, Ethiopia
A lava lake in the Danakil Depression, one of the hottest and lowest places on Earth.
Terra Explorer Volcanoes and craters
Drag to rotate · scroll or pinch to zoom
Make this model
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely.
- Region
- Ethiopia
- Position
- 13.6008, 40.6700
- Area
- 20 × 20 km
- Real elevation
- -29 to 987 m (1,016 m of relief)
- Printed size
- 150 mm (5.9 in) wide, about 1:133,300
- Heights
- 1.5× exaggeration
- Elevation data
- Open satellite data (SRTM and others), about 30 m per point
- Suggested color
- Heat map
- Group
- Volcanoes and craters
About Erta Ale, Ethiopia
Erta Ale (or Ertale or Irta'ale; Amharic: ኤርታሌ) is a continuously active shield volcano in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia, which is itself part of the wider Afar Triangle (a barren desert region straddling Djibouti, Ethiopia and Eritrea). The volcano is located in the Danakil Depression, an area on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea that is below sea level. It is composed of basalt, and it is the most active of the volcanoes in Ethiopia.
From Wikipedia: Erta Ale, text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. The article’s history lists its authors.
Questions about Erta Ale, Ethiopia
Where is Erta Ale?
Erta Ale is in Ethiopia at 13.6008, 40.6700. The model covers a 20 by 20 kilometer square around that point.
How high is the terrain in the Erta Ale model?
The land in this model runs from -29 to 987 m (1,016 m of relief). These are the measured heights, printed 1.5 times taller so the shape is easy to see.
Can I 3D print Erta Ale?
Yes. Download the free Standard resolution STL and print it on any FDM or resin printer. It is 150 mm wide and about 16.4 mm tall, on a solid 5 mm base, at a scale of about 1:133,300. It also works for CNC carving. Use Customize to change the width, base thickness or height exaggeration, make it round or add a name plate.
How accurate is the Erta Ale model?
It is built from real elevation measurements, not an artist's guess: open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point. The shaded picture on this page is made from the same data.
Is the Erta Ale model free?
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely and is a paid upgrade.
What is a Erta Ale terrain model good for?
People use it as a geology lesson you can hold, a classroom model or a desk piece.
About this terrain model
Embossify Terra builds Erta Ale, Ethiopia from real measured elevation, not an artist's guess. Outside the United States the heights come from open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point.
The model covers a 20 by 20 kilometer square centered on 13.6008, 40.6700. It prints 150 mm (5.9 in) wide on a solid base, a scale of about 1:133,300. The heights are exaggerated 1.5× so the shape is easy to see and feel; you can change that when you customize the model. Land below sea level is kept, so you can see how low it really is.
New to terrain printing? Read how Terra works. The shaded picture on this page is made by Embossify from the same elevation data.
