Mount Nyiragongo
Shawna Tarkington
Location
Nyiragongo is a volcano located in
the Democratic Republic of the
Congo on the continent Africa. Its
coordinates are 1.5220° S, 29.2495°
E. This volcano is part of the East
African Rift Valley.
Classification
Nyiragongo is an active
stratovolcano.
Background Info.
Nyiragongo has erupted at least 34 times in the past 140 years. The fastest
flowing lava ever recorded was from Nyiragongo in 1977, at 40 mi/hr.
Nyiragongo is only 40 km from another volcano, Nyamuragira. Together
they make up 40% of Africa’s historic volcanic eruptions. Nyiragongo has
the largest lava lake in the world, with a depth of about 600 meters. Iis a
very steep-sided volcano, and at the bottom are many densely populated
villages and towns, some of which have been destroyed by eruptions and
rebuilt. During one eruption of Nyiragongo, the crater walls collapsed and
the lava lake drained completely into the surrounding villages.
Hazards & Risks
The low viscosity of the lava in Nyiragongo means that it flows very quickly
and very far. The villages at the foot of the mountain are always at risk of
being destroyed by an eruption, and even the ones farther away aren’t safe,
because lava from Nyiragongo can flow more than 10 km from the
mountain. Explosions at Nyiragongo are very large and terrifying, but they
are beautiful.
Citations
Mount Nyiragongo,
www.coolgeography.co.uk/A-level/AQA/Year%2013/Plate%20Tectonics/Extra_case_studies/Mount%20Nyiragongo.
htm.
“Volcano World.” The Most Dangerous Volcano in the World: A Tale of Nyiragongo | Volcano World | Oregon State
University, volcano.oregonstate.edu/most-dangerous-volcano-world-tale-nyiragongo.