Active Volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains.
Active Volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains: The term a volcano is used to describe an opening in the earth’s crust which permits gasses, lava, and volcanic ash to escape. Liquid magma with dissolved gasses rises through fissures in the Earth’s crust underneath a volcano and as the magma rises, the pressure drops hence enabling the gasses to form bubbles.
The gas concentration and chemical makeup of the magma is the determinant of how it behaves after it reaches the surface. While lavas with high silica levels are more viscous (difficult to flow) they prevent any trapped gasses from gradually escaping but lavas with low silica contents have low viscosities and flow freely thus enabling any gas bubbles to escape easily.
The great Virunga Mountains are ranges of volcanoes in East Africa which are located in three East African countries namely Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda. The mountains fall in the intersections of these three countries with some mountains being shared by all the three countries like mountain Sabinyo and others being shared by two countries. The mountain ranges are part of the Albertine Rift, which border the western side of the East African rift valley and situated between Lake Kivu and Lake Edward. The word “Virunga” is translated as Ibirunga in Kinyarwanda, which means volcanoes
The mountain ranges of the Virunga mountains consist of mostly dormant volcanoes with 6 of the mountains being dormant that is to say Mount Karsimbi, Mount Mikeno, Mount Sabinyo, Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhabura and Mount Bisoke, only 2 of the Virunga mountains are active Volcanoes that is to say Mount Nyirangongo and Mount Nyamuragira
Mount Karisimbi which is a stratovolcano with a height of 4,507 metres above sea level is the highest mountain of the eight mountains of the Virunga Mountains, to hike mountain Karismbi you need 2 days a single day can’t be enough for the hike to reach its peak and it is shared between Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
Mount Sabinyo which is an extinct volcano is a tri-border point between Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo being on its peak is like being in the three countries simultaneously is at the height of 3,634 metres above sea level and it is the oldest mountain of the 8 volcanoes described as the old man’s teeth.
What Is An Active Volcano?
A volcano can be considered as an active Volcano when it exhibits current activity of vulcanicity such as regular eruptions, massive explosions, or even gas emissions, it is considered. But those that just release gasses are also referred to as inactive even if they are technically active.
When most people think of an eruption, they probably picture incandescent lava erupting from volcanoes massively but every volcanic explosion is unique with some emitting ash, rocks, and diverse gasses.
What Are the Active Volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains?
The great Virunga mountains only have two active Volcanoes as named below:
Mount Nyiragongo.
Mount Nyiragongo is an active volcano located in east-central Africa’s Virunga Mountains. It is located 12 miles north of Goma in the volcanic region of Virunga National Park that is close to the Rwandan border. Nyiragongo is 11,385 feet (3,470 meters) high and features a major crater with a liquid lava lake that is 1.3 miles (2 km) broad and 820 feet (250 meters) deep. The mountain’s oldest craters are well renowned for their abundance of flora.
Devastating eruptions are a well-known feature of Mount Nyiragongo with about 2,000 people dying in 1977, also Goma was completely destroyed by lava in 2002 which left over 100,000 people without a place to live and it sparked a refugee crisis. Lava stopped short of Goma’s city borders on 22nd May, 2021, but the eruption damaged many towns and claimed over thirty lives with more than 364,000 people fleeing from their home.
This destination is a perfect destination for nature lovers who would want to observe vulcanicity and its aftermath. It also has the biggest lava lake in the world that is located on top of the stunning stratovolcano known as Mount Nyiragongo. The trek to the summit of this formidable peak is more rewarding because you might see some animals like chimpanzees, various types of monkeys, the three-horned chameleon, bushbuck, and several bird species on the lower wooded slopes of the volcano.
Generally, the time taken to hike mount Nyiragongo is 4-6 hours which are divided in five sections. The first sections include a dense forest of the Nyiragongo and this is where you can watch the different animals and bird species of Mountain Nyiragongo. The second section is open with clear view of the valley below. The third section you can view old lava, for the fourth section you can view the montane forest and the last section which is the fifth section offers a summit with the world largest lava lake. It takes 4 hours to descend the mountain.
Mount Nyamuragira.
Mount Nyamuragira which is also known as Mount Nyamulagira is an active volcano located 25 kilometers north of Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s in the Virunga Mountains. The Mashi language is the where the name was derived from.
It is referred to as Africa’s most active volcano because it has erupted more than 40 times since 1885. In addition to eruptions from the volcano’s summit, there have been many eruptions from its sides which have resulted in the creation of new, smaller volcanoes that have only lasted for a brief period of time for example Murara that lasted from 1976 to 1977. The recent eruption of mount Nyamuragira was in November 2011.
Mount Nyamuragira is around 3,058 meters high, with walls that are 500 meters high and a caldera that is two kilometers wide. There are large lava flows in the East African rifts that span 1500 square kilometers and the Mountain has 500 cubic kilometers in volume. It’s interesting to note that the mountain is one of the rare volcanoes that has retained lava lakes for years with the most recent one being formed in June and August of 2014 at a depth of 500 meters, and it is still growing with the potential to produce additional lava flows in the future.
The reason as to why tourists shouldn’t miss visiting Mount Nyamuragira they have opportunity to explore its unique location inside Virunga National Park by trekking its routes to witness its active volcanic nature which also includes possible lava flows. There is also possibilities for high-altitude birding and animal watching chances where you encounter mountain gorillas, and have breathtaking panoramic views of Lake Kivu, other volcanoes.