Mount Nyiragongo

The Nyiragongo in March 2004

The 3470 m high stratovolcano Nyiragongo is one of the eight Virunga volcanoes that are part of the East African grave breach. It is located north of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo near the border with Rwanda. The Nyiragongo is located only 13 kilometers from the volcano Nyamuragira, which last erupted in 2011. In 2005 you made and found that the volcano ejects per day up to 70,000 tons of sulfur dioxide measurements.

Already in 1977 called for an eruption of the volcano probably 600 lives. On 17 January 2002, the volcano erupted again. A lava flow destroyed several villages and finally flowed through the city of Goma in the Lake Kivu. Goma at the time had about 250,000 inhabitants. 147 people were killed and an estimated 500,000 people had to be evacuated, which ultimately serves approximately 120,000 were left homeless. Currently can be seen in about 1 km wide crater of the volcano, a lava lake. The lava lake of the Nyiragongo is 1000 meters in diameter of the largest of the Earth. It is located about 600 m below the crater rim. The position of the lava lake rises and falls, presumably the lake is fed by a Manteldiapir. When it reaches a certain level and there are cracks in the crater wall, the lava can flow out and destroy large areas. The volcano has become an important factor for tourism, as it is often visited by foreign tourists.