⛑️ Earthquakes continue under Fentale volcano in Ethiopia
28 December 2024.

A scientific analysis.

Given that all events are less than 10 km deep and are near an active/potentially active volcano in a rift setting, there are two principal possibilities: 

1. A shallow tectonic swarm along rift faults, 
2. A volcano‐tectonic swarm driven by shallow magma or fluid movements,
Or a combination of both. 

Most likely, both tectonic and magmatic influences are in play, because:

The East African Rift is actively extending, so normal faults are regularly reactivated. 

Even purely tectonic quakes can be shallow.

Fentale volcano is known to have had eruptive activity and ongoing magmatic or hydrothermal processes at shallow depths.

Swarms at such shallow levels near a volcano can indicate dike intrusion or fluid migration, though purely tectonic normal faulting is also very plausible.

In other words, it is difficult to classify the swarm as 100% “volcanic” or 100% “tectonic” without additional data (focal mechanisms, ground deformation, gas measurements, etc.).

Often in regions like the Ethiopian Rift, the best explanation lies in a hybrid “volcano‐tectonic” mechanism: shallow rift‐normal faulting that is modulated or even partially driven by minor magma or hydrothermal injections beneath Fentale.

Hence, the safest conclusion is that it looks more likely to have a volcanic component than typical regional tectonic events further from a volcano might—but we cannot completely rule out purely tectonic activity. 

To differentiate these with confidence, one would need:

High-precision hypocenter relocations (to see if events track a dike intrusion path or align with known faults).

Focal mechanisms to interpret stress orientations.
Geodetic or gas data for evidence of shallow magma pressurization.

A volcano-tectonic or rift-related magmatic process is a probable cause for the swarm, given the shallow depths and proximity to Fentale volcano.