Mount Nyiragongo

Mount Nyiragongo
Mount Nyiragongo viewed aerially in 2014
Highest point
Elevation3,470 m (11,385 ft)[1]
Prominence1,443 m (4,734 ft)
Coordinates1°31′09″S 29°15′15″E / 1.51917°S 29.25417°E / -1.51917; 29.25417[1]
Geography
Mount Nyiragongo is located in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mount Nyiragongo
Mount Nyiragongo
Mount Nyiragongo
LocationDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Parent rangeVirunga Mountains
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano
Last eruption22 February 2024 – present[1]

Mount Nyiragongo (/ˌnɪərəˈɡɒŋɡ, -ˈɡɔːŋ-/ neer-ə-GONG-go) is an active stratovolcano with an elevation of 3,470 m (11,385 ft)[1] in the Virunga Mountains associated with the Albertine Rift. It is located inside Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 12 km (7.5 mi) north of the town of Goma and Lake Kivu and just west of the border with Rwanda. The main crater is about two kilometres (1 mi) wide and usually contains a lava lake. The crater presently has two distinct cooled lava benches within the crater walls – one at about 3,175 m (10,417 ft) and a lower one at about 2,975 m (9,760 ft).

Nyiragongo's lava lake has at times been the most voluminous known lava lake in recent history. The depth of the lava lake varies considerably. A maximum elevation of the lava lake was recorded at about 3,250 m (10,660 ft) prior to the January 1977 eruption – a lake depth of about 600 m (2,000 ft). Following the January 2002 eruption, the lava lake was recorded at a low of about 2,600 m (8,500 ft), or 900 m (3,000 ft) below the rim.[2] The level has gradually risen since then.[3] Nyiragongo and nearby Nyamuragira are together responsible for 40% of Africa's historical volcanic eruptions.[4]

  1. ^ a b c d "Nyiragongo". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  2. ^ Tedesco, Dario; et al. (2007). "January 2002 volcano-tectonic eruption of Nyiragongo volcano, Democratic Republic of Congo". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 112 (B9): B09202. Bibcode:2007JGRB..112.9202T. doi:10.1029/2006JB004762.
  3. ^ Burgi, P.-Y.; Darrah, T. H.; Tedesco, Dario; Eymold, W. K. (2014). "Dynamics of the Mount Nyiragongo lava lake". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 119 (5): 4106–4122. Bibcode:2014JGRB..119.4106B. doi:10.1002/2013JB010895.
  4. ^ "Virunga National Park". World Heritage List. UNESCO. Retrieved 13 February 2016.