Volcano Nyiragongo (Africa) - description. A lake of hot lava in the crater of the Nyiragongo volcano in the Congo. Eragon volcano is famous for the fact that

The location of the Nyiragongo volcano (an active stratovolcano) is the African Virunga Mountains (territory of the same name national park; is located 20 km north of Lake Kivu and the city of Goma located on its shore) in.

General information

Since 1882, according to documentary data, Nyiragongo (its height is more than 3400 m) has erupted 34 times, and at times its volcanic activity lasted for several years. One of the strong eruptions dates back to 1977 - then the “fiery” streams claimed the lives of hundreds of people. And the 2002 eruption, when a lake of lava rose to the edge of the crater, destroyed most the city of Goma, located in the vicinity of the volcano. Fortunately, the authorities managed to evacuate 40,000 people across the border in advance to the city of Gisenyi, adjacent to Goma. However, there were victims - about 150 people died under the ruins of destroyed buildings and from the deadly mixture of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

As a rule, Nyiragongo lava is very liquid and flowing, which is due to the quartz it contains. In this regard, lava flows flowing from the slopes can “develop” speeds of up to 100 km/h. The width of the main crater (it contains a lava lake, which is located at around 2700 m) Nyiragongo is 2 km, and the depth is 250 m.

It is not only Nyiragongo that poses a danger: in the event of a strong shaking (eruption), Lake Kivu could release the methane and carbon dioxide deposits stored in its depths, then Goma would be covered with a deadly cloud, not giving the inhabitants of this city a chance to escape.

The underground lava flows of Nyiragongo, or more precisely, their structure, resemble a water supply system - the volcano has a main channel and numerous branches (through which lava reaches the surface).

Those living in the city of Goma are confident that Nyiragongo is erupting at them as punishment for their sins. In addition, their confidence also concerns the fact that in the past eruptions were avoided due to the fact that brides were sacrificed to the volcano. This custom actually existed, but it was a bloodless (spiritual/thanksgiving) sacrifice. To “appease” Nyiragongo, the head of one of the families had to announce that his eldest daughter was the bride of the volcano (she could not leave her father’s house and get married - breaking the oath would anger the spirit of the volcano).

Nyiragongo for tourists

Climbing to the top of Nyiragongo takes about 6 hours - everyone will have the opportunity to admire the lake with hot lava in the dark (the area is illuminated thanks to the blazing magma), since tourists will be offered to spend the night in houses at the top of the volcano. But before you make the climb, you need to take care of the following: it is advisable to take warm clothes with you (it’s quite cold at the top), a sleeping bag and at least 3 liters of water; It is important to wear trekking shoes when hiking (ordinary sneakers will not work).

It is worth taking into account that to climb you need to obtain a permit from the national park office (it will cost $200). If you wish, you can hire a guide in Goma, who will help you “get” a permit. He will also rent out sleeping bags and tents, and will also take you to the foot of the volcano in a jeep, and offer several candidates for porters and cooks (if necessary). This pleasure will cost $150-200 (the price depends on the size of the group).

For those interested in meeting mountain gorillas, Virunga Park organizes special treks that can last about 7-8 hours (only a little over 30 tourists per day can visit the gorillas), since it all depends on the weather and the location gorillas will concentrate on one day or another. It is worth considering that in the presence of gorillas it is forbidden to eat and drink, as well as use a flash (for 1-hour communication with primates you will be asked to pay $400).

It is worth noting that in Virunga Park you will be able to see the gray wood pigeon, crested eagle, flamingo, African long-tailed hawk, wood dove, Fraser's eagle owl and other birds, as well as elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes and other animals.

In the park, in addition to Nyiragongo, there is the Nyamlagira volcano (it is 25-30 km away from Lake Kivu), which has erupted at least 35 times since 1882. Expeditions are often organized to the Nyamlaghira volcano to monitor it (one of them confirmed the presence of a lava lake in its crater). The last time he threw out a fire fountain was in 2011. After a while, the Congolese authorities and the staff of the Virunga Park opened access to Nyamlagira to everyone so that they could visit the site of the volcanic eruption, staying in a tent camp located, although quite close to the foot of Nyamlagira, but at the same time in a safe zone. An excursion here from Goma costs $300 (tourists will be given tents and mats, but you should take care of food, water, sleeping bags and protection from rain on your own).

Climb to Nyiragongo volcano, which is located in the Virunga Mountains of the Republic of Congo, the cherished dream of many travelers. Its top is a round crater, in the depths of which there is a boiling lava lake.

Volcano Nyiragongo (Africa) - description

Particular daredevils spend the night at the foot, climb to the edge of the crater, walk on the frozen lava crust and even meet New Year together with . Sometimes the volcano becomes covered with clouds of steam, and it becomes impossible to see the lake.

The best time for impressions is at night, which turns red due to the blazing magma. The sky is filled with scarlet paint for fifty kilometers. The fiery sparks of the lake dance on the surface, sometimes rising to a height of up to 30m. You can see how the bubbles explode and the basalt crusts drown. As the lake level rises, lava begins to pour over the edge, the walls of the crater shaking and humming.

Nyiragongo and the world's largest lava lake

This lava lake is considered the largest on the planet. The depth of Lake Nyiragon reaches 600 m, and the temperature of the lava reaches 1000 degrees. The volume is also impressive - 76 million m3.

The lake lives its own mysterious life, and very little allows volcanologists and seismologists to approach it. Meanwhile Nyiragongo volcano- the most dangerous on the planet, and primarily for the residents of the million-strong city of Goma. A huge city lies at the foot of the volcano, as if protesting against its power and strength.

During the existence of the city, the volcano already erupted in 2002. Sometimes it is in an active phase for many years in a row, as can be seen from the solidified magma. Nyiragongo lava is unusually fluid due to the fact that it contains little silicon and a lot of potassium. Its speed during the eruption is more than 70 km/h.

Gentle slopes and faults in them only increase the danger of hot streams converging. Gas streams often escape through side craters and cracks. There are such places even in the city itself.

Mount Nyiragongo is located in Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo, 20 kilometers north of the city of Goma and Lake Kivu. This is one of the most active volcanoes in Africa and one of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains.

The diameter of the largest crater is about two kilometers wide, and in its very center a lake of hot lava often forms, which is the subject of this article.

For a long time, the hot Lake Nyiragongo was the largest in the world. Its depth depends on the degree of activity of the volcano - the maximum lava level was recorded at a height of 3250 meters during the eruption in January 1977. Then the depth of the lake reached 600 meters, and currently the lava is at around 2700 meters.


It is unknown how long the volcano has been erupting. Since 1882, 34 major eruptions have been recorded. The volcano is constantly active, as evidenced by the lake of hot lava.


The lava during the Nyiragongo eruption is distinguished by its fluidity. Perhaps the reason for this is an alkali-rich volcanic rock with rare chemical composition. Due to the increased fluidity, lava flows during an eruption can reach speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, which exceeds the speed of water during a similar flow.


Between 1894 and 1977, the crater contained a permanent and very active lava lake. On January 10, 1977, the walls of the crater could not stand it and hot streams fell on the villages located at its foot, resulting in the death of 70 people. All of the above features make the Nyiragongo volcano unique and one of the most dangerous in the world, which also contains a lake of hot liquid lava.


Another destructive eruption occurred here relatively recently - on January 17, 2002. Lava flows covered an area of ​​200-1000 meters, and their height was 2 meters. Warnings were issued and 400,000 people were evacuated from the potentially dangerous area. However, 147 people still died from suffocation from carbon dioxide and collapsing buildings.


Six months after the 2002 eruption, the volcano erupted again. Activity still continues today, but is limited to the crater where a new lake has formed approximately 250 meters below the level of the 1994 lava lake.


In June 2010, a group of scientists and desperate researchers came to the shore of a lake of boiling lava. These photographs were taken by Olivier Grunewald.

Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano and is located in the Virunga National Park, approximately 20 km north of the city of Goma and Lake Kivu. Its main crater is about 2 km in diameter and usually contains a lava lake - the largest known in modern history. Until 1977, its depth had a record level of about 3250 m; now this figure is about 2700 m.

Location: Virunga Mountains, Congo
Altitude: 3470 m
Type: stratovolcano
Number of eruptions: 34 since 1882

Lava lake in Nyiragongo

From 1894 to 1977, the volcano's crater contained an active lava lake. On January 10, 1977, during an eruption, part of the crater wall was destroyed, causing the lake to pour out in less than an hour. The lava flowed down at a rapid speed, destroying almost all the villages in the area and killing about 70 people. Soon the crater filled again - until 2010, lava was almost spilling out of the edges. It is now largely contained within a wide cinder cone on the crater floor, measuring 18.2 m high by 182.8 m wide.

History of Nyiragongo eruptions

Nyiragongo is one of the most active volcanoes in Africa. Together with nearby Mount Nyamlaghira, it is responsible for 40% of all historically recorded eruptions on the continent. It is not reliably established how many times the volcano has shown its formidable power, but it is known that since 1882 it has erupted at least 34 times. However, some eruptions continued for many years.

Volcanism on Nyiragongo is caused by rifting of the earth's crust during the destruction of two parts of the African plate. Its lava is unusually liquid and consists mainly of volcanic rock rich in alkali. While most lava flows move fairly slowly and rarely pose a threat to human life, Nyiragongo's lava flows can rush down slopes at speeds of up to 100 km/h. This is due to the extremely low silica content. Due to the fact that Nyiragongo poses a threat to surrounding settlements, it was listed in 1991.

2002 Nyiragongo eruption

The 2002 eruption was one of the largest in Nyiragongo's history. It began on January 17 after several months of increased seismic and fumarole activity. A 13-kilometer crack formed in the southern flank of the volcano, which reached the outskirts of the city of Goma in a matter of hours. Lava immediately splashed out of it and spread in a stream 200–1000 m wide and up to 2 m deep throughout locality. Fortunately, there was early warning of the eruption - 400,000 people were evacuated in advance from Goma across the Rwandan border to the neighboring city of Gisenyi.

Lava affected the northern end of the runway international airport Goma and reached Lake Kivu. Volcanologists feared that the hot rocks would lead to the rise of gas-saturated waters from the bottom of the reservoir and release lethal amounts of carbon dioxide and methane (similar to the disaster at Lake Nyos in Cameroon in 1986), but this did not happen.

However, 147 people died as a result of carbon dioxide asphyxia and building collapse. At least 15% of Goma, including 4,500 buildings, was destroyed, leaving about 120,000 people homeless. Immediately after the eruption a large number of earthquakes were felt throughout Goma and Gisenyi. Seismic activity continued for 3 months and destroyed many buildings. 6 months after the eruption began, Nyiragongo began to erupt again. Its activity continues to this day, but is currently limited to the boiling of lava in the lake inside the crater.