Mount Nyiragongo
Mount Nyiragongo is an active volcano which is found in the Virunga mountains and lies within the volcano region of Virunga national park. Mount Nyiragongo rises 11,385feet high and has a crater that is wide and deep having a lava liquid pool. Its also known for its devasting eruptions that have happened over 34 times since 1882.
The eruption started once again in 1977the lake poured lava and within an hour it was empty and this caused several deaths. Later 6 seismographs were put on the slopes to monitor it but a genocide in Rwanda took place and made the refugees to flood the slopes. Therefore, one instrument amongst the six was left which made the volcanologists to be blind of the danger coming
In 2002 it erupted once again and the re was a fissure eruption and thus causing several deaths by a petrol depot exploded making several people to be displaced from their homes were Goma was filled with lava and thus causing refugee crisis.
In 2021 the volcano erupted once again, lava spilt near Goma airport and destroyed a highway to the north of the city of Beni and also the eastern parts of the city. The eruption killed over 30 people and various villages were killed
GEOLOGY
The eruptions in mount Nyiragongo have happened over 34 times and this includes times where this happens throughout years in the form of churning lava lake within the crater. The volcano overlaps with two older volcanoes that is baratu and shaheru which is also surrounded by thousands of small volcanic cinder cones from flank eruptions.
Volcanism at mount Nyiragongo comes up by the rifting of the earths crust where two parts of the earths plate are breaking apart. A hot spot is also responsible for the eruptions at Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira where lava emitted during eruptions is rarely fluid that is to say it’s made of melilite nephelinite, an alkali -rich type of volcanic rock which causes the rare fluid of lava. But most lava flow slowly and rarely cause danger to human life but lava that flows from Nyiragongo races downhill at 60 miles per hour because of the low silica content 1977 eruption, this happened due to the crater lake that contained an active lake between 1894 and 1977. Therefore in 1977, the walls got a fracture and the ava drained in less than an hour. At a speed of 60 miles lava flowed down the side of the volcano. Therefore, the eruption was preceded by creation of a new small volcano called murara few meters from the slopes
Mount Nyiragongo
The 2002 eruption was due to the increase in seismic and fumarolic activity. An 18-kilometer fissure opened I the south side of the volcano spreading in a few hours. The crack emitted three streams of lava where one poured in game city and causing several displacements and the other at gamma airport which led to its destruction and the other near lake kivu. This caused great fear that lava would cause gas saturated waters in the lake which would later cause large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane to rise to the surface. 45 people died in the eruption and a lot of property was destroyed and 15% of Goma city was damaged leaving various people homeless. This was considered the most dangerous eruption in modern history. Later after a few months an eruption at Nyamuragira volcano happened
HIKING IN MOUNT NYIRAGONGO
Hiking in Nyiragongo is divided into five sectors with a 15 minutes break at each stop. The hikers start at the kibati ranger post with an altitude of 1870 meters and reach the peak at 3,470 with a 6-kilometer hike. The average time for hiking is 4 to 6 hours with coming back from the volcano taking 4 hours. This depends on the speed and the pace at which the slowest person can set.
The first section takes the guests to the dense forest at the foundation of Nyiragongo. While at this point hikers are told to look out for wildlife which includes monkeys and bushbuck. The forest takes them to the second sector which offers a beautiful view of the valley whereas the third section takes the tourists to cross the old lava flows and the past steaming volcanic crack
After reaching the high montane forest to the fourth sector, the fifth and thus final steep is 300 meters to the peak. While on the top, fatigue disappears as the mount has amazing offers to the conquerors of the slopes such as the worlds largest lava churning away in a collage of molten red fire. And when night drops the mount offers a setting of stars which is amazing. Therefore, the Congo safari at mount Nyiragongo is amazing and rewarding making the safari a memorable one
