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Protecting the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga
Volcano Still Erupting 4 Days On… and counting
Today, thanks to the Monuc, I was able to overfly the Nyamulagira volcano, that began erupting in the early hours of 2 Jan. I was absolutely astounded at the lava and rocks shooting out of the crater.
The volcano - the most active in Africa - is still erupting, 4 days on. The lava flow has traveled 21 kilometers (13.5 miles), and is only 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) from the Goma-Sake road. The devastation is widespread.
These photos were taken during my flight which was in a small helicopter. We were 3 passengers and 2 pilots. The other passengers were from the Goma Volcano Observatory, so they are volcanologists who are monitoring the eruption. The crater you see above is about 20 meters in diameter.
Now when the eruption started 4 days ago there were 4 craters erupting. Today, 3 of those have stopped erupting and look like this one in the photo above. But the 4th is still going - and that is the one we are now worried about. The lava is now flowing much faster as the hill is steeper. Should the lava reach the road it will cause chaos. At the moment all the lava is still within the boundaries of Virunga National Park.
This is where one of the lava flows has already stopped. It really gives you an idea of the destruction.
And this is the lava flow that is still going. The volcanologists told me that it could reach the Goma-Sake road within 2 to 3 days.
What also struck me during this flight, that is perhaps not as impressive as a volcanic eruption in a photo, is the deforestation in this whole area due to the illegal charcoal trade. We could even spot people walking out of the park with charcoal from Virunga. This has really shocked me.
We continue to monitor the wildlife situation. Fortunately the chimpanzees of Tongo are still out of harm’s way. Some antelope and other smaller animals have been spotted moving away from the flanks of the Nyamulagira, but so far we have no casualties to report on that front. It is of course hard to tell as we cannot get too close. We will be able to evaluate properly once all this has stopped.
I shall keep you posted on Mount Nyamulagira’s activity - and the consequences that we shall all have to bear. The next 2 or 3 days are crucial.
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13 Responses to “Volcano Still Erupting 4 Days On… and counting”
What an amazing experience for you!! Not many people get to see that kind of view of an active volcano.
Can’t believe people are still in the park cutting down trees. At least you’ve seen it for yourself and might be able to do something about it once the volcano stops.
Is the lava flowing very slowly or fast? Hopefully animals have had time to get out of the way.
Rebecca, Virunga’s volcanoes contain magma that is highly viscous, meaning it flows fast and thin, due to its chemical composition. If you remember the reports from the niyragongo eruption from 2002, the lava was so destructive and deadly because it moved so fast, people couldn’t get out of the way fast enough.
Thankfully it seems like this eruption is a bit slower, maybe because there is less lava being emitted, but as they say, it could reach the road soon and possibly the lake, which could be disastrous.
Innocent, is the flow in the direction of that north-western section of the lake where it gets very narrow? I am wondering if it could cut off the lake into two lakes, that would be hard on Sake and other western lake Kivu communities.
Where can we find other updates or maps to keep up to date with events?
Raw video of the eruption has been posted here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-8jBmYMPNU
hi guys. Volcano still erupting as I write. It is going faster because the hill is steeper now - and it maintains that gradient all the way to the lake. I am not sure Jim where it would hit the lake - but as soon as that lava hits the road it is going to cause chaos. Hitting the lake will be even worse. My internet connection has been terrible the last few days so I am not sure where to keep up with volcano events - the Goma Volcano Observatory is the one keeping the closest tabs on things. Monuc are flying regularly too.
Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers. Let’s hope the lava doesn’t make it to the road or the lake. Hard to believe people are actually making charcoal within the park while this is happening. Stay safe all!
Thanks so much for this report, Innocent. It’s good to know that there are no casualties to report. I wonder if the deforestation from the charcoal trade you refer to is what we see in the bottom right of the second photo from top? Good luck with the internet connection, Samantha. I know how critical a good connection is and how frustrating interruption can be!
Hi Suzanne. The deforestation you refer to (second photo from top) is actually where the lava has traveled through the forest. That destruction is caused by this recent eruption, and one of the lava flows (one of the 3 that has stopped). The destruction caused by the charcoal trade is much more patchy. I will ask Innocent to post one of those photos at a later date.
The eruption is STILL going on. Innocent is just getting an update as I write. Not sure how much closer it is now to the road or how fast it is going but will post that shortly.
I just received an email from the United Nations office. The lava flow heading toward the Goma-Sake road has slowed considerably and has only advanced only 100 metres or so in the last 24 hours. This is not because there is less lava flowing but because the lava flow has widened. The lava flow was about 15 metres wide and is now about 200 metres wide. So the volcanologists still believe the lava flow will hit the road, but not for a few more days or weeks. The activity of the volcano remains intense.
Thank you for the updates.
Take care.
So as of Saturday the volcano fountain was almost 300 meters high!! The lava was flowing differently however and was no longer heading toward the Goma-Sake road. As of 2 hours ago I can confirm that volcano activity has diminished. The main issue that the volcanologists and the local authorities were concerned about was the ash that was falling on Sake that is harmful to people’s health, especially children. So now the volcano has calmed a bit this is not such a big worry.
Good news Samantha, thanks for the update.
Aw! That’s very sweet! Donating to save monkeys. I would love to help.
So um…. Im bored! Talk to me Rebecca T