It may come as a surprise to many but Saudi Arabia is home to several volcanoes and volcanic fields, most in the west and northwest of the country, such as Harrat Khaybar. Located north of Medina, Harrat Khaybar is known as probably one of the largest and most iconic volcanic fields in the Kingdom. Indeed, this natural wonder takes up an area of over 12,000 square kilometers and has a 100-kilometer north-south line of the volcanic vent system, which according to scientists, is what has led to the formation of the volcanic field for the past 5 million years.

 

Harrat Khaybar has many volcanic vents –locations from which lava flows and pyroclastic material are erupted – such as scoria cones, lava domes, maars, basalt lava flows, and Jabar Qidr stratovolcano. In addition, scientists believe that its tuff cones (basically the top of volcanoes) were formed when magma came in contact with water and other volcanic elements, meaning that the weather over the field used to be wetter. Today though, the area in which Harrat Khaybar is located is arid, barely receiving any rainfall, making it uninhabitable to wildlife.