The volcano race is famous for that. Volcano Nyiragongo (Africa) - description

Mount Nyiragongo is located in national park Virunga, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 20 kilometers north of the city of Goma and Lake Kivu. It is one of the most active volcanoes in Africa and one of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains. The main crater is approximately two kilometers wide, and in its very center a lake of red-hot lava often appears, which will be discussed in this article.

This lava lake has already been mentioned in the selection of erupting lava landscapes, but now you will find a more detailed report and many photos. For a long time, the hot lake Nyiragongo was the largest in the world. Its depth varies depending on the degree of activity of the volcano - the maximum increase in the level of lava 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 not known for certain how long the volcano continues to erupt, but since 1882, 34 strong eruptions have been recorded. Activity is observed here constantly, as evidenced by the lake of red-hot lava

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

Between 1894 and 1977, the crater contained a permanent and extremely active lava lake. On January 10, 1977, the walls of the crater broke and hot streams hit the villages below, killing a large number of people. All of the above features make the Nyiragongo volcano unique and one of the most dangerous in the world, moreover, it also contains a lake of hot liquid lava.

Another strong eruption occurred here relatively recently - on January 17, 2002. Lava flows spread over an area of 200-1000 meters, and their height was 2 meters. A warning was given in time, and 400,000 people were evacuated from the potential affected area. Despite this, 147 people still died, suffering from carbon dioxide asphyxiation and collapsing buildings.

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

I also invite you to take a look at the photos.

The African volcano Nyiragongo is located in the Virunga mountains, 20 km north of Lake Kivu and the city of Goma on its shore, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), more precisely, in the border zone with the Republic of Rwanda, to the west of it.
The Albertina Rift passes through this area - deep depression in the earth's crust, due to which the crust in this place is very thin, Ancient geological processes have not yet been completed here, and the consequence of this is the presence of active volcanoes in these places.
Nyiragongo is a stratovolcano, it has the shape of a wide and regular truncated cone and its base merges with another volcano - Nyamlagira. At the top there is a well-shaped main crater with a diameter of 2000 m and a depth of 250 m. On the northern and southern slopes of the volcano, two lateral and more ancient secondary craters are visible - Baratu (3100 m) and Shakheru (2800 m).
There are hundreds of small ash cones on the slopes of the volcano, formed as a result of lateral eruptions.
Two cooled lava terraces are clearly distinguished in the crater - at an altitude of 2975 and 3175 m. lava lake- the most extensive in modern history: its volume is 76 million m 3.
The depth of the lake is unstable - about 600 m. The temperature of the lava reaches 982 ° C, and its bursts rise to a height of 7 to 30 m.
Nyiragongo lava is characterized by mobility (fluidity). The uniqueness of the volcano is that it is composed mainly of fine-grained crystalline rocks containing more than 60% feldspathoid minerals with a predominance of light components. Unusually, neighboring Nyamlagira and the province of South Kivu are composed of alkali-spar-dominated minerals. And the volcanic magma has a potassium composition and little silica. This explains its fluidity: lava flows reach speeds of 100 km / h, which is extremely unusual for stratovolcanoes.
Since 1882, 34 eruptions have been recorded, including periods when the activity of Nyiragongo was not interrupted for many years, which manifested itself in the form of lava boiling in the crater of the lake. All this makes Nyiragongo one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
The proximity of the volcano to densely populated areas increases the likelihood of catastrophic consequences. In addition, the potential consequences of eruptions may be aggravated due to the unique properties of the Nyiragongo volcano - it has steep slopes, along which lava flows rapidly. Lava lakes are not uncommon, there are many of them, for example, on, but they are not typical of stratovolcanoes.
The most notable recent eruptions occurred in 1977 and 2002. In 1977, the walls of the crater collapsed, lava rushed down the slope at a speed of about 100 km / h, and the lake was empty in less than 60 minutes. Lava covered several villages, killing 70 people. During the 2002 eruption, a 13-kilometer fissure formed in the area of the southern slope of the volcano. A lava flow from 200 to 1000 m wide poured into the city of Goma. 400 thousand people were urgently evacuated. Lava flooded the stripes international airport, reached Lake Kivu and stopped. If it combined with water, an explosion would occur, and a lethal mixture of carbon dioxide and methane would be released into the atmosphere. 147 people suffocated from poisonous fumes and died under the ruins of houses. 14 thousand buildings in Goma were destroyed, 350 thousand people. lost their blood. This eruption was the most destructive in recent history.
Nyiragongo is not only very active, but also the least explored. Volcanologists do not risk studying it because of the war that has been going on in the east of the DRC and in Rwanda for the last 20 years.
For people who live near a volcano, it is both a blessing and a curse: mineral-rich volcanic ash enriches the soil, but eruptions destroy farms.
The volcano is located within the Virunga National Park and is listed world heritage UNESCO.

general information

An active volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Type: stratovolcano.
Location: Virunga Mountains, 20 km north of Lake Kivu.
The largest city: Goma, 377 112 people (2010).
Secondary craters: Baratu (3100 m) and Shaher (2800 m).

Numbers

Height: 3470 m.
Crater diameter: 2000 m
Crater Depth: 250 m
Lava Lake Depth: about 600 m.
Maximum lava lake level: 3250 m
Lava lake minimum level: 2700 m
Lava temperature: 982°C.

Economy

Agriculture: crop production, animal husbandry.
Felling of bamboo and precious woods.
Service sector: transport.

Climate and weather

Equatorial, humid.
January average temperature:+20°С.
July average temperature:+21°С.
Average annual rainfall: 1700 mm.
Daily temperature difference: 10-15°C.
Relative humidity: 77%.

Attractions

■ Volcano Nyiragongo;
■ Volcano Nyamlagira;
■ Lake Kivu;
■ Virunga National Park;
■ Gishwati Forest Reserve.

One of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world - Nyiragongo has erupted at least 34 times since 1882 and is home to the world's largest lava lake. It is especially picturesque here at night, when Mount Nyiragongo boils and shines. This is probably the last place on Earth you would want to live, but despite the constant threat of a cataclysmic fiery death, the area at the foot of Mount Nyiragongo is dotted with various settlements.

Nyiragongo Volcano combines a completely unique combination of factors on which volcanologists are trained. The exploration of this geological wonder attracts experts from all over the world.
While the volume of its lava lake can vary, the average amount of lava it contains makes it the largest regular lava lake in the world.
The lava produced by this volcano also has an extremely liquid consistency. This is due to an unusually high concentration of alkali-rich volcanic rocks.
Nyiragongo has a relatively steep slope. Combined with the liquid consistency of the lava and its proximity to human settlements, this makes it an extremely dangerous volcano.

Geological features of Nyiragongo

Volcano
Nyiragongo is an excellent example of a stratovolcano.
It also remains very active and is considered one of the highest volcanoes, with a height of 3470 meters. In addition, the primary crater measures almost 2 km. Its lava lake is another distinguishing feature, with an average depth of 600 meters.

But the most important hallmark Nyiragongo is a lava composition. With an extremely high alkaline ratio, lava flows rapidly over steep slopes. As a result, flow rates up the slope reach 100 km/h. Thanks to the combination of the slope and the viscosity of the lava, it is here that scientists have recorded the fastest incandescent flow currently known to man.

The Nyiragongo Volcano is located in the Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This place is only 20 km from the nearest locality. Volcanologists know little about ancient history eruptions, but the activity of the volcano in our time is well documented and studied. The volcano has erupted 34 times since 1882. In addition, some of these eruptions continued for many years. This volcano is overlapped by several old volcanoes among hundreds of small cones. Because of its unique hazards, Nyiragongo Volcano was named a Decade Volcano in 1991. In March 2016, the Goma Volcano Observatory discovered that a new nozzle had opened on the northeast rim of the crater.

Through calm and decent Uganda, my path lay in a country that was completely incomprehensible due to lack of information - the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly called Zaire. Our trip with Oleg ended in the town of Kisoro on the border between Uganda and the DRC, from where he was supposed to return to Entebbe and fly back to Russia, and I remained to wait for a group of enthusiasts, with whom I planned a short foray into the enchanted world.

Bewitched in the sense that it is extremely difficult to get there, and no one knows what is happening there. The crumbs of leaking information are so contradictory that they give practically nothing to understand the situation. Our goal was one of the oldest parks in Africa - national park Virunga(Parc national des Virunga), created at the beginning of the last century, when this territory belonged to the Belgians. Legendary naturalists such as Carl Ackley and Dina Fossey worked here at one time. The Russian ornithologist Alexander Romanovich Prigozhin (1913-1991), who left for Belgium after the revolution, worked in the same region, discovered several new species of birds here, and whose name is immortalized in the names of four of them.

The park was created for conservation, but there are several volcanoes here that are very interesting to visit. Some of them are extinct, but some are active. And very active! The most interesting is the Nyiragongo volcano ( Nyiragongo ), in the crater of which there is an open lava lake.

This is what Nyiragongo crater looks like at night

Zaire is one of the most major countries on the African continent, and perhaps one of the richest - large deposits of gold, diamonds, uranium, copper. The colonial Belgian past, the mass of internecine wars and political upheavals since independence. The bloodiest war after the Second World War was also here. Weak central government and local confusion. These are just a few characteristics of the region. The country is one of the five most troubled criminal states, along with Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq ......

The east of the country is sometimes calm, large UN forces are concentrated here, including our Russian helicopter base. True, as recent events have shown, this did not help much. The rebels recently recaptured most of the region, including the capital Goma, where our pilots were based. The national park has been closed to the public for several months now. No one knows what's going on there.) Our group broke through there in a relatively calm period.

Speaking about the activity of Nyiragongo, I did not exaggerate at all. Since 1882, he has been rowdy 34 times, i.e. almost every 4 years!

The last eruption was in 2002. And every time everything took place with casualties and great destruction.

In 2002, everything happened on January 17th. Lava flows quickly reached Goma, the city itself is only 12-15 km from the volcano, in good weather it is perfectly visible. But to us, because of the eternally cloudy weather, he did not want to show himself in his full glory! The mountain was constantly shrouded in clouds, and even when the sun suddenly appeared and most of the clouds disappeared, the sky above the volcano was invariably overcast, and it was still impossible to see its peak.

This is what Nyiragongo looks like from the road. Soon we will have to go to its top many difficult kilometers.

2002 Along the way, the lava swept away everything in its path, 14 villages simply disappeared, as if they were not there.
Goma was partially covered, mainly its northern part, 14 thousand houses were destroyed, several hundred thousand people were evacuated (according to official data, about 400 thousand). Even more fled on their own to neighboring Rwanda, where special refugee camps were opened.

But time goes by...

After almost 10 years, the surroundings of the city look dull, although, of course, new ones have already been built on the site of the burned-out villages - this is not a tricky thing in the tropics). This is not for you to sculpt for the Russian winter!

In a few years, these remnants of lava will no longer be visible - everything will be covered with grass and bushes .. well, unless of course there is a new eruption.

To climb the volcano, a permit from the administration of Virunga Park is required. For the integrity and safety of tourists, armed guards are attached to them.
Everyone can also take advantage of porters from among the locals living in the villages nearby. Those wishing to carry your backpack, as a rule, are several times more than necessary. This is understandable - people have practically no work and a small additional income is needed just to survive!

Our guards

Porters with our belongings, at a halt

The ascent to the top is quite difficult, it takes about six hours. During this time you overcome about 1700 m in height.
The path first goes along the frozen lava - the places where the fiery stream passed in 2002. Separate dead trees create an unsightly atmosphere and an unpleasant feeling stirs inside "but won't everything be repeated in the next minute?"

We then entered a typical montane rainforest. Here the atmosphere is already easier, and the familiar feeling of waiting for a meeting with birds distracts from gloomy thoughts.
However, the severity of the ascent did not allow me to completely immerse myself in the birdwatcher's worries - it was impossible to lose the pace of the ascent, otherwise we would not have reached the top before dark.

The last and at the same time the most difficult section was at the top.
Here, the woody vegetation fades away and a belt of shrubby junipers begins, and above - giant lobelia and some kind of tree-like shrubs, similar to rhododendrons. But heavy fog and, again, the pace of ascent prevented us from enjoying the beauty of the surrounding nature.

In the belt of giant lobelias, a fine rain suddenly began to drip. Our heated bodies took it as a salvation. But this did not last long.
Not long in terms of fine rain. He got stronger. Strengthened to a downpour by a wall!
At the same time, a cold ... or rather, even an icy wind blew. And the rain began to turn into hail. In a few minutes, everyone was wet to the last thread and, in addition, chilled to the very last cell. But the most unpleasant thing was that the path along which they climbed, and all the slopes around, turned into a turbulent water stream, moving along which became more and more dangerous every minute.

The fog didn't stop though. Only the smell of sulfur intensified, coming from somewhere above and telling us that the final goal was already very close.
At some point, through the fog, everyone saw an indistinct silhouette of some building. It flashed through my mind ... "lower camp" .... Yes, indeed, we got to this conditional point, where we could somehow hide from the weather. But as soon as the first people were in the camp, the rain stopped.

Of course, it is difficult to call these remains of buildings a camp, but in this situation they turned out to be enough to change into dry clothes and warm up.
In addition, I had a bottle of Hennessy in my stash just for such occasions, which we immediately put into action!
Or rather, expense!

I must say that no one had despondency ... both before Hennessy, and especially after him.
Everyone was in the mood for combat envy. Then there was only the last spurt - the ascent from the lower camp to the crater.

Above the lower camp there are only practically bare screes of crumbled lava.

Not long before our ascent to the volcano, the administration of the park set up small houses there for tourists like us who climb here overnight.
What a joy it was to climb inside and fall on the bed!

But not for long! Just take a breath. Literally a few tens of meters from the houses begins the crater. Meeting place can not be Changed!
I put on the last remnants of warm clothes. Altitude 3470 m.a.s.l. And even though the range of central Africa - the temperature is only about zero.
Vysotsky's words "in yellow hot Africa, in its central part" are spinning in my head .............. Yeah! Quite the contrary!

And here is the volcano itself. He is covered in smoke. Nothing is visible! Here is the horror! Around the fog, in the crater - smoke... i.e. whole milk!

We stand for ten minutes ... half an hour ... an hour - the same picture before our eyes: clouds of smoke rising from below, red flashes sometimes flash in rare gaps.
There is only one thought in my head - is it really in vain that we climbed, really we won’t see the crater? Really in vain?!

The onset of darkness puts everything in its place. The temperature drops, and in the wake of this, the fog recedes down to where it is warmer.
The crater, although still in smoke, is clearly visible at certain moments. Especially when the upper layers of lava gradually cool down to form a crust, preventing smoke from escaping.

Then, under the pressure of hot lava from below, the frozen crust begins to crack with bizarre cracks-patterns, its individual sections sink down, and liquid lava breaks out upward.
Here you need to catch the moment, because immediately after that, clouds of smoke break out of the depths, covering the whole view. Each time this action happens differently - watching this kaleidoscope is an incredible pleasure.

In such a hunt for moments, several hours pass in complete darkness. People replace each other at the top post, and a little lower in the houses the fighters on duty are warming up!
Here is camping food, a stash of smoked lard sausage .... well, and other warming attributes - an integral part of such outings.

A great many shots have been made, but most of them are in the furnace. Finding the right mode proved difficult. Although you shoot at night, lava is extremely mobile - long exposures are unacceptable, and bright clots of lava instantly overexpose.

Here are some frames from the footage.

This is how this volcano opened up to me. There is not much to say about the descent. Everything went as planned, the only thing was the weather was much better.
Due to the high pace of birds, it was not possible to observe at all, although in the belt of giant lobelias I met a cool nectary, which I really wanted to see - Nectarinia johnstoni in a typical setting - feeding on the inflorescence of lobelia. It's nice though a little)))