Mount Alayta is an active shield volcano in the Afar Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Afar Triangle (Afar Depression), a highly active volcanic region which includes the adjacent Mount Afdera, this volcano covers an area of 2700 square kilometers southwest of Lake Afrera. A chain of younger craters are aligned along a north-northwest axis in the basaltic-to-trachytic shield along the east side of the shield volcano, which extends to the western flank of Mount Afdera. The Alayta Lavafeld covered by fresh lava streams was formed from a series of north-south fissures. In two areas on the southern side of the volcanic complex, fumaroles can be observed.