$\unit[30\times120]{km^2}$) and local ($\unit[15\times15]{km^2}$) magnetotelluric data sets and obtained the first multi-scale 3-D electrical conductivity model of a segment of the central Main Ethiopian Rift.
The model unravels a magma ponding zone with up to $\unit[7]{vol.\,\%}$ melt at the base of the crust ($\unit[30-35]{km\,b.s.l.}$) in the western part of the rift and its connection to Aluto volcano via a fault-aligned transcrustal magma system. Melt accumulates at shallow crustal depths ($\unit[\geq4]{km\,b.s.l.}$), thereby providing heat for Aluto's geothermal system.
Our model suggests that different volcano-tectonic lineaments in the rift valley share a common melt source.
The presented model provides new constraints on the melt distribution below a segment of the rift which is important for future geothermal developments and volcanic hazard assessments in the region.