Magmatic rifting and active volcanism A major rifting episode began in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia in September 2005. Over a ten day period c. 2.5 km³ of magma were intruded along a 60 km long dyke separating the Arabian and Nubian plates. Over the next five years a further 13 dyke intrusions caused continued extension eruptions and seismicity. This activity led to a renewed international focus on the role of magmatism in rifting with major international collaborative projects working in Afar and Ethiopia to study the ongoing activity and to place it in a broader context. This book brings together articles that explore the role of magmatism in rifting from the initiation of continental break up through to full seafloor spreading. We also explore the hazards related to rifting and the associated volcanism. This work has implications for our understanding of how continents break up and the associated distribution of resources in rift basins and continental margins.