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Lava fountains from Nyamuragira during the eruption in 2004 (Photo courtesy: B. Edmaier)
Lava fountains from Nyamuragira during the eruption in 2004 (Photo courtesy: B. Edmaier)
The flat silhouette of Nyamuragira shield volcano, seen from Nyiragongo
The flat silhouette of Nyamuragira shield volcano, seen from Nyiragongo

Nyamuragira volcano
shield volcano 3058 m / 10,033 ft
DRCongo, -1.41°S / 29.2°E
Nyamuragira volcano eruptions:
1865, 1882, 1894, 1896, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1904, 1905, 1906(?), 1907, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1912-13, 1920, 1921-38, 1938-40, 1948, 1951, 1951-52, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1967, 1971, 1976-77, 1980, 1981-82, 1984, 1986, 1987-88, 1989, 1991-93, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2011 (6 Nov) - March 2012
Typical eruption style:
Large effusive eruptions (Hawaiian style)
Nyamuragira webcams / live data

Nyamuragira (Nyamulagira) volcano news:

Friday, Jan 08, 2010
Nyamuragira volcano (DR Congo), activity update: eruption continues
Nyamuragira's eruption continues, but the lava output seems to decline. After 5 days, the new lava flows have traveled 21 kilometers and approached the road from Goma to Sae within 7 km. If the eruption continues, the flows may be able to cut the road. ...more [read all]
Monday, Jan 04, 2010
Nyiamuragira volcano (DRCongo), eruption: new eruption
Nyamuragira volcano (often also spelled Nyamulariga) erupted on Saturday 2nd January. The eruption was located on a fissure on the E flank where violent lava fountains from 4 vents along a new fissure were feeding a new large lava flow advancing towards the Goma-Sake road. Due to armed rebels hiding in the area, access to the eruption is not safely possible. [read all]
Friday, Nov 14, 2008
Nyiamuragira & Nyiragongo volcano (DRCongo), eruption warning: increased seismicity, rising magma level in Nyiragongo's crater
Africa's two most active volcanoes might erupt soon, adding to the conflict in the East Kivu region. In an interview reported in the German newspaper "Die Welt" scientist from Goma's volcano observatory are warning about possible impending eruptions of both Nyiamuragira and Nyiragongo. ...more [read all]
Sunday, Dec 24, 2006
Nyamuragira volcano (DR Congo), activity update: eruption close to end

As the Goma Volcano Observatory reports, the eruption at Nyiamuragira that had started on 27 November is probably close to its end. Lava emission from the eruptive fissure has been decreasing to a very low level. Due to the difficulty to access the eruption site because of hostile militant groups in the area, exact observations other than by overflights are near impossible.

[read all]
Thursday, Nov 30, 2006
Nyamuragira volcano (DR Congo), eruption update
Map of Nyamuragira volcano and the new eruption site (courtesy of GVO)
Map of Nyamuragira volcano and the new eruption site (courtesy of GVO)

The eruption at Nyamuragira volcano continues. Protected by military from the OCHA and MONUC missions, scientist from OVG could overfly and visit the eruption area on 29 Nov. Their report (kindly provided by Kasereka Mahinda, director of OVG, and other staff at OVG), is summarized:
The location of the eruptive fissure is between the vents of Nyamuragira's eruptions in 1986 (Kitazungurwa: KT) and 2001 (Amani: AM).
During the first day of the eruption, lava flows have already travelled 10 km (!) towards the west. If the eruption continues, the flow is likely to cut the major E-W artery road from Sake to Goma lifeline. Because of the important production of toxic ash from the lava fountains, GVO warns the population of the possibility of acid rain, ash-contaminated water and crops. During its eruption in 2000, 17 people were reported killed because of drinking from ash-continaminated water sources, as well as a large number of failed pregnancies. In addition, large damage was afflicted to crops and lifestock.

[read all]
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006
Nyamuragira volcano (DR Congo), eruption news: new eruption
Press photo taken on November 28, 2006, showing a large fissure and lava fountains several hundred meters high during the first day of Nyamuragira's eruption. (photo released by REUTERS/MONUC-United Nations/Handout)
Press photo taken on November 28, 2006, showing a large fissure and lava fountains several hundred meters high during the first day of Nyamuragira's eruption. (photo released by REUTERS/MONUC-United Nations/Handout)

One of the world's largest volcanoes, mighty Nyamuragira (also spelled Nyamulagira) in eastern Congo, is in eruption again. The eruption began around 10 pm local time on Monday, 27 Nov. 2006 as press reports.Observation of the eruption is difficult because of the unrest in the region. The area around Nyamuragira is difficult to access and home to a number of armed rebel troops notoriously opposing the government army.
The volcano, notorious for its fluid lava, last erupted in 2002 and 2004, sending lava flows into mostly uninhabited forest and farm land.

[read all]

Background:

Nyamuragira is Africa's and one of the world's most active volcano. It erupts roughly every two years, producing large fluid lava flows.


Nyamuragira is is a massive high-potassium basaltic shield volcano located about 25 km north of Lake Kivu in the East African Rift Valley NW of Nyiragongo volcano. It has a volume of 500 cubic km, and extensive lava flows from the volcano blanket 1500 square km of the East African Rift, some lava flows having travelled more than 30 km from the summit. The broad shield volcano, 3058 m high, has a summit caldera, about 2 km wide and walls up to about 100 m high. During some eruptions, a lava lake is contained within the caldera. As typical for shield volcanoes, it has both eruptions inside the summit caldera and from extensive rift zones on the flanks, producing numerous fissures and cinder cones.


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