Karisimbi Volcano
Updated: 24 abr. 2024 12:18 GMT -
Stratovolcano 4507 m / 14,787 ft
DR Congo/Rwanda, -1.5°S / 29.45°E
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
DR Congo/Rwanda, -1.5°S / 29.45°E
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Karisimbi volcano with snow cover seen from the rim of Nyiragongo
Karisimbi is the highest of the Virunga volcanoes in Central Africa in the border region of Rwanda and DR Congo. It is the 11th highest mountain of Africa and currently in a dormant stage. There are no confirmed historical eruptions.
Its name stems from word "amasimbi" in local Kinyarwanda dialect and means snow. The mountain is believed to be home to spirits and there are many legends associated with it.
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Erupciones del volcán Karisimbi: 8050 BC (?)
Latest nearby earthquakes
Fecha / Hora | Revista / Prof. | Distancia / Ubicación |
Background
Karisimbi, the highest of the Virunga volcanoes, is a complex volcano with a symmetrical sharp-peaked summit. The 2-km-wide Branca caldera, located SE of the 4507-m-high summit, is filled by viscous lava flows and two explosion craters. The large, 1.2-km-wide Muntango pit crater is located south of the summit of the basanitic-to-trachytic volcano. A broad lava plain, formed from lava flows erupted within the caldera and along a chain of parasitic cones, extends SW. More than 100 parasitic cones erupted along a NNE-SSW zone that extends to the shores of Lake Kivu. The youngest Potassium-Argon date obtained is about 10,000 years before present (de Mulder, 1985). The youngest eruptions from Karisimbi produced a group of dome-shaped parasitic vents east of the caldera, which fed viscous lava flows that traveled as far as 12 km to the east, and lava flows from the SW-flank satellitic lava vents.---
Smithsonian / GVP volcano information
Karisimbi Volcano Photos
¡La mañana llega rápido! Una última foto del lago de lava en su cráter gigante, antes de que los vapores se vuelvan demasiado densos. Jean Michel, abajo a la derecha, se ...
Los picos de los volcanes Mikeno y Karisimbi, parte del grupo de volcanes Virunga, se recortan contra el horizonte de la mañana hacia el NE. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)
Mikeno y Karisimbi al fondo detrás de la pared iluminada del cráter del Nyiragongo. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)
Vista del volcán Karisimbi con su capa de nieve que le dio su nombre - "amasimbi" es nieve en el idioma local. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)