Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Silali.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Silali.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Silali.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Kaveterang

Tuff ring

700 m

1° 14' 0" N

36° 8' 0" E

Thermal

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Akiloset Springs

Hot Spring

Kalnang'i Springs

Hot Spring

Kapedo Hot Springs

Hot Spring

Lorusio Hot Springs

Hot Spring

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

222052

5050 BCE

1,528 m / 5,013 ft

1.15°N
36.23°E

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Shield

Volcano Types
Shield
Caldera
Lava dome(s)
Pyroclastic cone(s)

Rock Types

Major
Trachyte / Trachydacite
Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Minor
Trachybasalt / Tephrite Basanite

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

157
784
18,705
917,921

Geological Summary

The 30-km-wide Silali trachytic shield volcano, the largest Quaternary volcano in the northern Gregory Rift, completely straddles the East African Rift. The 5 x 8 km summit caldera with 300 m deep walls is thought to have formed incrementally about 63,000 years ago, related to eruption of the Kantenmening basaltic and trachytic lava flows. A series of summit-area lava benches formed by eruptions from circumferential fissures is morphologically similar to Galapagos Islands volcanoes. The N, E, and S flanks are cut by a prominent broad rift zone 10 km wide and 30 km long, with numerous pyroclastic cones. Lava domes on the upper E flank formed during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, until about 7,000 years ago. Youthful cones are common on the caldera floor and on the N and NE flanks; the youngest lava flows may be little more than a few hundred years old (Williams et al. 1984). Geothermal activity occurs within the caldera and on the upper E flanks.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Dunkley P N, Smith M, Allen D A, Darling W G, 1993. The geothermal activity and geology of the northern sector of the Kenya Rift Valley. Brit Geol Surv Res Rpt, SC/93/1: 1-185.

Key R M, 1987. Geology of the Maralal area. Rpt Mines Geol Dept Kenya, 105: 1-93.

Macdonald R, Davies G R, Upton B G, Dunkley P N, Smith M, Leat P T, 1995. Petrogenesis of Silali volcano, Gregory Rift, Kenya. J Geol Soc London, 152: 703-720.

Smith M, Dunkley P N, Deino A, Williams L A J, McCall G J H, 1995. Geochronology, stratigraphy and structural evolution of Silali volcano, Gregory Rift, Kenya. J Geol Soc London, 152: 297-310.

Williams L A J, 1970. The volcanics of the Gregory Rift Valley, East Africa. Bull Volcanol, 34: 439-465.

Williams L A J, Macdonald R, Chapman G R, 1984. Late Quaternary caldera volcanoes of the Kenya Rift Valley. J. Geophys. Res, 89: 8553-8570.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 3 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

5050 BCE ± 2000 years Confirmed Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

Upper east flank

5050 BCE ± 2000 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: Ar/Ar

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Upper east flank

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
	- - - -	- - - -	Lava dome

6050 BCE ± 3000 years Confirmed Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

Eastern part of caldera

6050 BCE ± 3000 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: Ar/Ar

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Eastern part of caldera

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
	- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow

7050 BCE ± 2000 years Confirmed Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

Upper east flank

7050 BCE ± 2000 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: Ar/Ar

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at Upper east flank

Start Date	End Date	Event Type
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
- - - -	- - - -	Lava dome
- - - -	- - - -	Pumice

Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Silali.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Silali.

Photo Gallery

The impressive 5 x 8 km summit caldera of Silali volcano is seen in an aerial view from the SE. Formation of the 300-m-deep caldera is related to the incremental eruption of basaltic and trachytic lava flows about 63,000 years ago. N-S-trending rift valley faults cutting across the volcano can be seen at the lower left. Some of cones on the caldera floor and flanks may be little more than a few hundred years old.

Photo by Martin Smith, 1993 (copyright British Geological Survey, NERC).

GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Silali in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Silali. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Silali. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Silali

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).