Nyiragongo Volcano

Updated: Aug 3, 2025 04:07 GMT - refresh

Stratovolcano

DRCongo, -1.52°S / 29.25°E

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Summit height: 3470 m / 11,384 ft

Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)

Last update: 10 Jul 2024 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

Activity Updates

The lava lake of Nyiragongo volcano

Nyiragongo (also spelled Niragongo), one of the world's most beautiful and active volcanoes, is a large stratovolcano near Lake Kivu at the eastern border of DRCongo with Rwanda in the Virunga National Park.
It has a 1.2 km diameter summit caldera containing the world's most active and largest lava lake.
Nyiragongo is infamous for its extremely fluid lava that runs as water when the lava lake drains. On January 17, 2002, Nyiragongo erupted and the lava lake drained from fissures on its western flanks. The city centre of the Goma town, the capital of the East Virunga province, had been destroyed by voluninous lava flows. 200,000 people were left homeless, adding to the human desaster caused by frequent civil wars.

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Typical eruption style: Large effusive eruptions; persistant lava lake in the summit crater.
Nyiragongo volcano eruptions: 1884, 1894, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1905, 1906, 1908(?), 1911, 1918, 1920-21, 1927-77, 1977, 1982, 1994-96, 2002 (17 Jan-3 Feb, south flank), 2002-2021 (lava lake), 2021 (22-23 May, flank eruption)

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Background

Nyiragongo, located in the Western branch of the Rift Valley near Lake Kivu and the Congolese-Rwandese border, is one of the world's most active volcanoes. It is notorious for its lava lake and producing lateral eruptions with extremely fluid, fast-moving lava flows that repeatedly devastated areas around the volcano, such as the Goma desaster on January 2002, when a lava flow destroyed much of the city's commercial center and promted 200,000 people to flee.

The large lava lake contained in its deep summit crater, now active again, became famous in the 1960's and 70's when volcanologists such as the Kraffts and Tazieff studied it. It had been active for half a century before it drained in one of the volcano's recent most catastrophic eruptions in 1977: through openings in its outer flanks in 1977, a huge lava flow poured out and killed hundreds of people. A similar event happened again in January 2002, when lava flows from flank vents drained the lake and cut through Goma, reaching Lake Kivu.
In contrast to its neighbor volcano, Nyamuragira,- a typical, and very active shield volcano comparable with Mauna Loa,- the 3470-m-high Nyiragongo displays the steep slopes of a stratovolcano. Terraces inside the steep-walled, 1.2-km-wide summit crater mark levels of former lava lakes, which have been observed since the late-19th century.
Two older volcanoes, Baruta and Shaheru, are partially overlapped by Nyiragongo on the north and south and look like lateral cones. About 100 parasitic cones are located primarily along radial fissures south of Shaheru, east of the summit, and along a NE-SW zone extending as far as Lake Kivu. Many cones are buried by voluminous lava flows that extend long distances down the flanks of the volcano.

Nyiragongo Volcano Photos

As morning approaches, the intense red and yellow light of the lava once again mixes with the blue of the sky, creating a unique spectacle. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)

Again the Nyiragongo lava lake. The red glow of the lava was clearly visible through the day. (Photo: shinkov)

The lights of Goma town in the background left remind me of standing on Etna volcano and looking down to Catania... (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)

Time to wake up and enjoy the last hour of darkness before sunrise! As usual, Gilles is already up before all others and standing at the crater rim behind, to watch the l...

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Significant volcanic eruptions: Nyiragongo volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Nyiragongo has had at least 19 confirmed volcanic eruptions, out of which 18 are documented by historical records, while the others can be inferred from geological evidence.
There is one uncertain or discredited eruption in 1908 from Nyiragongo volcano.

The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Nyiragongo volcano since around 1800. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Nyiragongo can be found on the news page of Nyiragongo volcano.

Date	Note	VEI	Deaths	Damage
2002 May 17 ? - ongoing	Historical obs./docs.	2
2021 May 22 (eruption 2002 May 17 ? - ongoing)	Historical obs./docs.	2	32	heavy	Info
2021 May 22: Initial reports on 23 May 2021 reported 15 fatalities that included deaths from road accidents during an evacuation of Goma and its surroundings, and include four deaths that happened during an attempted prisoner escape at Munzenze. Two of the dead were overcome by fire and lava that coursed into some 17 villages but stopped short of the border city of Goma. According to Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) estimates, six-hundred homes around Goma had been destroyed and five schools flattened. (Reference #12942, Reference #12943) On 26 May 2021, the death toll was increased to 32 with at least 2,500 homes destroyed by sudden lava flows. (Reference #12945) While 32 persons are feared dead, at least 400,000 people are currently internally displaced in DRC while 7,000 persons have fled to Rwanda as refugees. Five schools and several health infrastructure were destroyed by the lava. It is reported that at least 5,000 households have lost their homes and property. (Reference #12962) Cited references #2432 Venzke, E., R.W. Wunderman, L. McClelland, T. Simkin, J.F. Luhr, L. Siebert, and G. Mayberry (eds.) (2002-): Global Volcanism, 1968 to the Present. Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program Digital Information Series, GVP-4 (http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/). #10953 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 551 p. #12942 Africa Times (2021): At least 15 dead after Mount Nyiragongo volcano eruption. Published 23 May 2021. Updated at 11:47am. Link #12943 CNN (2021): 8,000 people cross from the Democratic Republic of Congo into Rwanda following volcano eruption. Published 24 May 2021. Link #12945 Africa Times (2021): DRC volcano toll reaches 32, quakes shake neighboring Rwanda. Published 26 May 2021. Updated at 12:39pm. Link #12962 ACT Alliance (2021): Rapid Response Fund: Response to volcano eruption in Goma. No. 9. Link Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
2002 Jan 17 - Feb 3 or later	South flank (2800-1570 m), summit crater Historical obs./docs.	1
2002 Jan 17 (eruption 2002 Jan 17 - Feb 3 or later)	Historical obs./docs.	1	100	heavy	Info
2002 Jan 17: A major eruption began on January 17, 2002. The eruption caused lava flows that moved directly into the city of Goma and continued to Lake Kivu. Reports indicate that flows destroyed 25-75% of the city, including 10,000 homes. Approximately 45 people died as a direct result of the burning of homes. An additional 50-100 people were said to have died when hot lava caused a gas station to explode on January 21. Press accounts indicated that volcanologists tentatively suggested that Nyiragongo's volcanism was due to seismicity producing fissures up to several km in length along the E African rift, allowing magma to reach the surface. Cited references #2432 Venzke, E., R.W. Wunderman, L. McClelland, T. Simkin, J.F. Luhr, L. Siebert, and G. Mayberry (eds.) (2002-): Global Volcanism, 1968 to the Present. Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program Digital Information Series, GVP-4 (http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/). Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1994 Jun 23 - 1996 Mar 16 ±15 d.	Historical obs./docs.	1
1990 Nov 21 (eruptive episode 1990 Nov 21)	Historical obs./docs.	0	1		Info
1990 Nov 21: No eruption. (reference #9675) Cited references #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1982 Jun 21 - Oct 17 ±15 d.	Historical obs./docs.	1
1927 Mar 16 ±15 d. - 1977 Jan 10	Historical obs./docs.	1
1977 Jan 10	North, south, and west flanks Historical obs./docs.	1
1977 Jan 10	Historical obs./docs.	1	50-100 (*)	heavy	Info
Extremely fluid, fast-moving lava flows draining from lava lake killed numbers variously estimated at none to 2,000 persons. Best estimate seems to be 50 to 100. Several villages destroyed. Cited references #1412 Simkin, Tom, and Lee Siebert with the collaboration of Russell Blong, Jonathan Dehn, Christopher Newhall, Roland Pool, and Thomas C. Stein (1994): Volcanoes of the World, Second Edition, A Regional Directory, Gazetteer, and Chronology of Volcanism During the Last 10,000 Years, Geoscience Press, Inc., Tucson, Arizona, in association with Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program, Washington, D.C., p. 164-176. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1920 - 1921	Historical obs./docs.	1
1918	Historical obs./docs.	1
1911 Aug - Oct	Southern pit Historical obs./docs.	1
?? 1908 Dec 1 ±30 d.	Uncertain Eruption	?
1906	Historical obs./docs.	1
1905	Historical obs./docs.	1
1902	Historical obs./docs.	1
1901	Historical obs./docs.	1
1900	Historical obs./docs.	1
1899	Historical obs./docs.	1
1898	Historical obs./docs.	1
1894	Historical obs./docs.	1
1891 or before	Volcano Uncertain: probably Nyiragongo	?
1884	Southern pit Historical obs./docs.	1

(*) Estimated numbers

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Nyiragongo Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Nyiragongo volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Nyiragongo began in 2002 and is continuing (as of August 2025).

+How often does Nyiragongo volcano erupt?

Nyiragongo volcano erupts almost every year. Since its first historically documented eruption 1884, Nyiragongo has often been near-continuously active. The Global Volcanism Project counts 18 historic eruptions until now, spanning a total of 92 out of 141 years. In other words, Nyiragongo is active roughly every one in 1.5 years on average. This value is likely an underestimate, because the known history of eruption might not contain all eruptions, especially further back in time. The last eruption of Nyiragongo began in 2002 and is continuing (as of August 2025).

+How active is Nyiragongo volcano at present?

Nyiragongo volcano is extremely active: Since 1900, it has been frequently active, showing eruptive activity during 88 years out of 126 as of now. The latest eruption is still continuing at present.

+When was the largest eruption of Nyiragongo volcano?

The largest eruption of Nyiragongo volcano in historic times occurred in 2002. It only has a VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) of 1, likely because it was a mainly effusive eruption generating lava flows but very little ash.

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See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

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Nyiragongo Volcano Tours

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Nyiragongo Lava Lake & Mountain Gorillas

8-days expedition to Nyiragongo volcano & mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park

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Nyiragongo Volcano Maps

Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).