The Nyamuragira-volcano, also called Nyamlagira, is the most active volcano in Africa.
It is a 3,056 m high massive basaltic shildvolcano north of Lake Kivu and NW of
Nyiragongo, a neighboring volcano. Lava from Nyamuragira cover 1,500 square km of
the East African Rift. The cratertop is formed as a small 2 x 2,3 km caldera with walls up
to 100 m heigth.

Activity from cracks on the slopes has been known under the previous 30 eruptions since 1882.
A lavalake was active from 1921, but dried out in 1938. Lava has in the past century come as
far as 30 km from the volcano, even down to Lake Kivu.

Nyamuragira is within the Virunga National Park, which previously has been closed
due to military activity in the area, which borders to Rwanda.

Thursday, January 19th, 2012
According to observations by scientists from the Afar Consortium Project, the fissure eruption at Nyamuragira that
began on 6 November 2011 continued on 8 January 2012. The initial scoria cone appeared inactive and second cone
formed to the N of the first cone. Both cones were about 300 m high. The second cone was extremely active during
the duration of the observations (about 15 hours) with fire fountains over twice the height of the cone; lava flowed N.
The observers, about 1.5 km away, felt the heat from the eruption as well as lapilli fall.
GVN

Monday November 14th, 2011


If you want to look at the pictures in full size you have to go to this page:
http://earthquake-report.com/2011/11/08/rwanda-nyamulagira-volcano-eruption-in-dr-congo/


Nyamuragira has had its biggest eruption of lava for a century, spewing lava 400 meters up into the air.
There have also been several quakes, and fright that these will wake up the nearby more violent volcano Nyiragongo.


An eruption from that volcano will be of danger to the inhabitants in Goma, a nearby city,
but the ongoing eruption from Nyamuragira does not threaten the inhabitants so far. .

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011




The eruption is to the left on the picture, lava flowing out towards the right

On the 7th of November it has been reported that the volcano during the night began to spew out fire and lava.
It is believed to ble a flank eruption, not from the volcano-lake site where tourist often go.
What is most dangerous for the moment is the ashfall. The ecosystem is being destroyed, and animals will have to flee.

May 19th, 2004
One plane overflight, made on late afternoon on May 12th, has collected the following
information :
1) The lava lake is located in a pit approx. 15m deep. Activity is much reduced.
The surface is a solid crust with three vents open trough it.
All vents are presenting a strombolian activity with spatter splashing and short lava overflows.
Accumulation of spatter tends to build low cones.
2) The eruptive fracture has four main cones with very active lava fountains.
Height has been estimated to some 30-50 m. All cones are pouring important lava flows.
Flows make an intricate delta below the lower cone. It turns later in a very wide lava flow,
covering a large area with a total length estimated to some 12 km. This flow is running.
3) The activity remains quite strong and apparently stable in comparison with other
documented Nyamulagira eruptions.
4) So far, security conditions in the whole area have prevented any fieldwork on the eruption site and surroundings. Field trips are not planned within the next days.

The Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (EP TOMS) is detecting large SO2
clouds released by the current eruption of Nyamuragira. On May 10 at 0855UT a broad
SO2 cloud extended up to ~180 km west, ~360 km south and ~260 km ESE of the
volcano, completely covering Rwanda and Burundi, with the highest SO2 concentrations
detected in a zone directed SSE across Rwanda. This cloud contained ~190,000 tonnes
of SO2. On May 11 a large SO2 mass (~116,000 tonnes) was present west of the
data gap, ~560 km south of Nyamuragira at its maximum extent.

No ash has been detected in the volcanic clouds by EP TOMS to date, and the maximum
altitude reached by the SO2 is currently unclear.
(From SVE)

May 11th, 2004

The Goma Volcano Observatory (GVO) is announcing the beginning of a new eruption of
volcano Nyamulagira in North-Kivu (DRC). For what has been recorded as strong volcanic
tremor by the whole seismic network, this activity has started on May 8, at 0548 local time.
Activity seems to have begun in the summital caldera of Nyamuragira and later propagated
on the North flank.

One plane over flight and one field mission in the area located North of the volcano have
allowed to collect the following information on the current eruption :

1) One active lava lake has appeared in the N-NE of the Nyamulagira caldera. This lake,
with an approx. 300m diameter, is animated by four strong lava fountains.
So far, no overflows have been detected in other parts of the caldera.

2) An eruptive fracture, approx. 2km long, has been found on the N-NW flank of the
volcano. Several lava fountains are active all along the fracture and two main cones are
building up. Lava is poured from many vents and turns into a main flow towards the N-NW,
always within the National Park boundaries. No populated areas are threatened by this flow.

3) Ash falls have been observed in several villages on the western and the northern sides
of the volcano. One humanitarian mission will leave soon to evaluate possible damages.

Important ash falls, gas clouds and fluoride pollution are expected on the western part of the
rift escarpment. Due to the long preparation (10 months), GVO staff is forecasting a long
duration activity.
Info from SWVRC

March 7th, 2003
As of March 4th small earthquakes are expected in Uganda as a volcano brews in
neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), geology officials have said.
Scientists in Goma, on Thursday reported that they had detected "very fast" earth movements,
indicating that Mt. Nyamuragira near Goma town was about to explode.
© Copyright UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

February 28th, , 2003
Scientists at the Goma Volcano Observatory in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
said on Thursday that seismic activity was increasing "very fast" on Mt Nyamuragira, which
could erupt in a "matter of weeks, or even days".

The observatory said its scientists were trying to forecast the eruption "and prevent possible
panic". Local authorities, UN agencies and NGOs would be informed, it said.

Seismic stations at Luboga, Katale and Kunene have been observing the activity.
The observatory reported that a spasmodic tremor had been observed on 19 and 23
February with "a strong quake" located in the crater.

Mt Nyamuragira erupted in 2001 without causing casualties. However, the nearby
Mt Nyiragongo erupted on 17 January 2002, causing up to 350,000 people to flee Goma.
© Copyright New Vision

July 27th, 2002
The lava flow is very fast and the danger is that if it continues at this speed it will cross the main road and cut off many outlying villages. But there is no danger to Goma itself.

The United Nations warned that several thousand people might have to flee as the lava
advanced through the countryside.



17.februar 2000

Satellit-bilde fra NOAA i morges viser rød varmeflekk og askesky på
vei sydvestover.

	Linker:
	Nyiragongo - background by Tom Bacon
	Vulkanen Nyiragongo, nabo til Nyamuragira - neighbour of Nyamuragira
	Virunga National Park, with rare gorillas threatened by volcano