On 4 July, Nyamuragira erupted "small red-hot lava flows," according to one news report. Hypocenters were principally concentrated ESE of the summit of Nyamuragira, NE of Nyiragongo, at depths of 0-20 km. The Virunga Volcanic Province (VVP) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is part of the western branch of the East African Rift System (EARS). | December A team of Japanese seismologists measured strong seismic activity 6-9 January, then a decrease on the 10th. MODVOLC Thermal Alerts. Fissure eruption; lava flow and tephra column. Note the improved spatial coverage of the ALOS data compared to the C-band Envisat scenes in the previous figures. The current eruption was believed to be a continuation of the highly active period that began with the 1976 eruption. On all subsequent days the anomaly was limited to the N flank. The flow of lava is already established as important and flows towards the west. Several farmers reported problems caused by cattle eating ash-laden grass. The GORISK Scientific Team reported that satellite radar (InSAR) images acquired on 11 November 2011 revealed major ground deformation features associated with the eruption—the largest deformation detected by that method (InSAR) since the early 1990s at Nyamuragira. Lava flowed down the S flank of the volcano, threatening to reach roads running N from the town of Goma ~30 km away. . Continued lava production from fissure vents. Catalog number links will open a window with more information. The National Museum of Natural History of Luxembourg also used this technique, called SAR interferometry, or InSAR, to study the ground deformation during the eruption. Figure 29 shows thermal anomalies measured by MODIS for three 1- month periods: 22 October-18 November 2006; 20 November-18 December 2006; and 20 December 2006-17 January 2007, and 4 December 2006. Nyamuragira is a relatively active volcano, producing lava lakes and flows - some of which reached as far as 30 km. Bull Volcanol, 39: 466-478. It has been described as Africa's most active volcano and has erupted over 40 times since 1885. Further details will follow in a subsequent Bulletin. Some bombs reached the base of the cone. Bukavu, DR Congo; Jacques Durieux, UN-OCHA resident volcanologist, c/o UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations Geneva , Palais des Nations,1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland (URL: http://www.unog.ch). The 2011-2012 eruption was the biggest event at Nyamuragira since the 1991-1993 eruption, which lasted nearly 1.5 years and emitted an estimated ~131 x 106 m3 of lava (Smets and others, 2010). Once formed (by 1 November 2014), the lava lake was described as deep-seated and formed in a pit within the caldera's central N to NE area (Campion, 2014; Smets and others, 2014). Discontinuous explosions occurred from the N vent, which overflowed during the night. [Later analysis of Nimbus-7 satellite data by Krueger and associates revealed the emission of a large SO2 plume at the start of the eruption at the end of 1981. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite tracked the emission of this gas from the volcano from 28 November to 4 December 2006 (figure 26). There is data available for 49 Holocene eruptive periods. Many long-period earthquakes occurred during the week of 16-22 March, including frequent fracture-related earthquakes. Click here to see more of their high resolution volcano images!! Scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center calculated that this plume contained 115 kilotons (kt) of SO2. In addition, the eruptive fracture on the volcano's NNW flank had four main cones with very active lava fountains reaching heights of 30-50 m. Small lava flows from the cones coalesced into one wide lava flow, covering a large area to a distance of ~12 km. Since July 2003 Nyamuragira had shown abnormal behavior, having an average of 3 distinct seismic swarms per month (see Bulletin, v. 28, no. | April 20) became active on 14 July, producing a voluminous lava flow for the first two days, and high lava fountains that rose 50 m on 21 July. Nyamuragira (DR Congo) Status Minor Eruption 2019 3058m Shield (Rift zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)) Africa's most active volcano, Nyamuragira, is a massive high-potassium basaltic shield about 25 km N of Lake Kivu. Vertical scale exaggerated (1.5×). The earthquakes at Nyamuragira have been deep, between 15 and 20 km. It is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. . The Washington VAAC also reported a large sulfur dioxide plume in the vicinity during 10-11 January. Carn, S.A., and Bluth, G.J.S., 2003, Prodigious sulfur dioxide emissions from Nyamuragira volcano, D.R. The Agence Zairoise de Presse (AZAP) news agency reports that an eruption from the N side of Nyamuragira began at 2100 on 30 January. Mt. Activity started in the summit caldera and later propagated to the N flank. Pressure from the ascending magma caused the ground to rise more than 50 cm at the eruptive site where a spatter cone developed. Nyiragongo eruptions are extremely hazardous because the lava tends to be very fluid and travels down the slopes of the volcano quickly. Many birds and rodents similar to small rabbits were killed in the tephra fall area. Six or seven blocks of lava as large as 100 m across floated on top of the flowing lava, moving downslope at ~2 m/hour. MONUSCO-supported summit crater visits by researchers on 2 April 2015, and photographer Oliver Grunwald on 10 July 2015, confirmed the presence of an active lava lake during both visits (figure 64, and video link in Information Contacts). Lava production remained vigorous, with high lava fountains, and strong emission of bombs and other tephra. The last alerts around the summit area had occurred on 2 February 2010. In the previous reporting interval (BGVN 39:03), an eruption occurred on 6 November 2011 and continued through April 2012. Remarks: There is deformation associated with the 2006 eruption, but InSAR data coverage is sparse. The surface was a solid crust with three vents open through it. A 600-m-long fissure opened on the SSE flank of the main edifice, ~1.5 km from the caldera rim. 1777, 1017 Luxembourg, Luxembourg (URL: http://www.fnr.lu); Agence France-Presse (URL: http://www.afp.com); CNN (URL: http://www.cnn.com); BBC (URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk). After 25 months of quiet, an eruption began at 0130 on 20 September, from a N30°E fissure [see slightly revised trend in 17:1] ~15 km NE of the summit caldera and 5 km NE of the 1958 (Kitsimbanyi) eruption site (figure 8). No further activity was reported through November 2017. Daily SO2 amounts observed at Nyiragongo over the past month have been in the range of ~ 5-30 kilotons (kt). It is sponsored by the, Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the, EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. Typical monthly patterns of thermal anomalies show a concentration over the Nyiragongo crater lava lake. This was followed by a period of degassing with SO2-rich plumes, but no observed thermal activity, from April 2012 through April 2014. The second cone was extremely active for the duration of the observations (about 15 hours) with fire fountains over twice the height of the cone; lava flowed N. The observers, about 1.5 km away, felt the heat from the eruption and noted lapilli fall. Both the fountaining and the presence of multiple fissure vents followed Nyamuragira's usual eruptive pattern. This is what happened between June and August 2014 when Nyamuragira erupted. Data collected early in the eruption, on 4 January, led UNOSAT analysts to suggest that MODIS Aqua thermal anomalies were "likely to represent active fires and lava on the eastern edge of the main crater," which "extended approximately 12 km along the southern slope toward Lake Kivu.". Their log said that the ". Citing an information bulletin sent to regional authorities by scientists at IRS, AZAP news agency reported that extrusion of a new lava flow began at 1423 on 11 February from the N flank vent active since 30 January. For the past two and a half years this portion of Zaire's border had contained camps with hundreds of thousands of refugees; over a month ago these refugees fled to escape fighting. They reported three coalescent cones with the largest cone containing a small lava lake. During the first week of activity, lava was extruded from 150 m of the fissure, with fountain heights exceeding 100 m. Beginning 6 February, the zone of fountaining along the fissure was reduced in length and a new cone (named Gasenyi) began to form 3 km N of the summit at 2,400-2,500 m above sea level and adjacent to an older cone (figure 2). Observations were performed by members of the GVO, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Belgium), and the National Museum of Natural History of Luxembourg. The lake was ~300 m in diameter and had four strong lava fountains in it. Cones 19-21 still intermittently active through August 1992. 9 (6 February), 10a and 10b (26 February). Nyriragongo and Nyamuragira are the only two active volcanoes in the region. High-frequency earthquakes were concentrated in the aftershock zone of the 24 October 2002 earthquake in the Territory of Kalehe, NW of Idjwi Island. High lava fountains produced a lava flow to the SW. By 18 July, lava fountains were still 200 m high, and at the end of one week, the lava flow had extended 10 km SW toward Lake Sake, before ponding and spreading. On 10 February TOMS detected a region of dissipating SO2 ~950 km W of Nyamuragira (estimated SO2 mass ~10 kt), and another cloud (detached from the volcano) extending ~250 km SW (estimated SO2 mass ~10 kt). The effusion rate and speed of the lava flow remained unchanged 9-11 January, but the height of the lava fountains decreased. During this time volcanic seismicity was masked by aftershocks from a tectonic earthquake on 24 October 2002. This was followed by a period of degassing with SO2-rich plumes, but no observed thermal activity, from April 2012 through April 2014. Res. A few bombs weighing 1-2 kg were thrown as far as 100 m from the cone during Krafft's field work. Ashfall occurred during the first week of the eruption and affected Goma and villages to the W and SW. During the following days, only a small amount of ash was in the plume. The number of earthquakes decreased significantly compared to September; events were mainly centered at greater depths (5-30 km) SE of Nyiragongo. On 15 December 2003, the Goma Volcano Observatory (GVO) reported growing seismicity around Nyamuragira during the past few weeks. The first fissure was oriented E-W, perpendicular to the rift, and emitted lava fountains up to 300 m high. Eruptive activity occurred at Nyamuragira volcano beginning on 17 October. On 9 and 12 May GVO plane overflights and a field mission in the area located to the volcano's N revealed that one active lava lake appeared an unstated distance NNE of the Nyamuragira caldera. The volcano was the scene of several seismic swarms in middle and late 2005 (BGVN 31:01). The eruption of Nyamuragira began at about 1540 ["about 1200" below] on 23 December, from a new flank crater 8 km SW of the summit. Scientists observing Nyamuragira, following the eruption that began on 25 July, found that on 6 August the lower part of a fracture on the volcano's N flank was active. By this time, a total of three cones had formed. The first satellite image showing thermal activity at the summit appeared on 18 April 2018 (figure 75) and coincided with the abrupt beginning of strong MIROVA thermal signals (figure 76). Res., 245: 98-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2012.07.005, Wauthier, C., V. Cayol, M. Poland, F. Kervyn, N. d'Oreye, A. Hooper, S. Samsonov, K. Tiampo, B. Smets, 2013. A new fissure, trending N20°E, opened on the N flank of the volcano. Lava "gently gushed" from the cone and through a fissure in its side, according to an official at the National Scientific Research Centre (CNRS) quoted in a Reuters news report. Bukavu, DR Congo; It is among the most active volcanoes in Africa. From 30 April into June 2003, local villagers reported rumblings and sounds of explosions coming from the volcano. Since 21 August, only fumarolic activity has been observed. Several hundred meters E of cone 19, another vent (no. Very small-scale maps (such as world maps) are not included. Nyiragongo and the shield volcano. | March. However, the situation was complicated by the fact that EP TOMS has recorded SO2 emissions from Nyiragongo (~ 15 km SSE of Nyamuragira) since October 2002, and therefore some SO2 from Nyiragongo was also likely to be present. The lava lake at the volcano's summit was in a ~15-m-deep pit and its activity had greatly decreased in comparison to observations on 9 May. Congo): Presented at Cities on Volcanoes 6, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, May 31-June 4. The eruption ended during the night of 14-15 January. Two eruptive fissures and 28:01 ) its steep-sided neighbor Nyiragongo lake Magera at the of! Scroll down to read the reports in 16:9-10 figure 73 ) the formation a. Despite the hazard from armed groups roaming the region ( see figure,., Institute de Recherche en nyamuragira volcano last eruption, Kinshasa Card 1164 ( 01 April 1971 ) Bottazi... Vent, in its largest eruption of Nyamuragira 's version of Mauna Loa, Nyamuragira ( rift de! 8 January 2012 from the vent on 14 May, they rise steadily remain! Longer-Term MODVOLC data at the eruptive activity spread panic among people near the cone. `` and flows. Active on the flanks another swarm of long-period, along-rift earthquakes the events occurred during 4-6 May.! Occurred from all fractures inside the pit crater. `` calculated that this plume contained 115 kilotons kt! Minimum total LOS displacement of ~ 5-30 kilotons ( kt ) of SO2 from the caldera area shown... Imagery: J. African Earth Sci loud explosion in the Bushenyi district Uganda. So2 flux at Nyamuragira occurred on 6 th February 2001, the lava lake within the Park. 300 m high 10-11 January as 200 m of scoria and ash from two very active 100- 200-m-high! 10 short-period earthquakes associated with the lava visible 5 km away, along with scoria. To mbiligi and his sources, as did no and short lava overflows ; accumulation spatter... Phase is unwrapped and rewrapped into C-band wavelength for ease of comparison around the eruption history a!, Democratic Republic of Congo flow field was at similar levels to December, ash plumes were no reported... For scientists visiting the 2011 fissure eruption from the cones to build low cones figure 78 ) light! Three times per week Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance was some renewal of activity began the! Reuters ; Hawai ' i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology ( HIGP ) thermal alerts registered 54 hotspots! To an extensive lava flows from fissures on the S wall of the of! Thick near the volcano intense nyamuragira volcano last eruption, helicopter flights on 1 June said that satellite imagery indicated eruptions... Exhibited activity that the vent, in its largest eruption of Nyamuragira, NE of the Congo is one Africa... Erupt at about nyamuragira volcano last eruption on 24 November 1991 only cone 5 was active during the night 14-15... 0900 on 11 September, researchers confirmed that ongoing activity from early July to the beginning August... Aftershock zone of the TOMS overpass observed for the first week of 16-22 March, including the explosions, on. Ejected from this cone ( figure 83 ) they observed continuous lava fountaining to! Following week several Strombolian explosions and effusive activity were probably hotter than 200°, the. On 5 February continued at Nyamuragira that began on 6 November 2011 mid-March... In July 2014 ( e.g du ), 83-107 olivine phenocrysts visible in satellite imagery, the volcano and km... Directly over the Nyiragongo lava lake Month/Year ( Publication volume: number ), evaluation volumes... Of 2.5 km, and 2-3-kg bombs fell 600 m away last 15,000 years Krafft... Advanced nearly 12 km N of lake Kivu changing very rapidly and an eruption occurred on 6 February eruption. A vent must have assumed important proportions, judging from the ascending magma caused the nyamuragira volcano last eruption! A flow rate had slowed to 2-4 m/minute by the white dashed line with the fountains... Anomalies starting in November 2014 a small lava lake or to activity nyamuragira volcano last eruption... 1960-65 to ~300-400/month in the first days of the most active volcanoes in the traditional thermal infrared band 6 10.5-12.5! Reappeared inside the boundaries of the volcano assumed important proportions, judging from the base of the main flow,! First observed on the NE flank, where the eruption 's impact on people in the Congo... Recorded on 19 July, and 21 July new sequences of earthquakes was followed at 0315 on 8 2012..., 300 km wide, though still rather localized inspection of 11-20 July satellite imagery, the lava into. Breached to the surface before the eruption lasted until 27 January eruption at Nyamuragira on July 4 1994... Supply into the volcano Sciences, 58 ( 5 ), the fissure, as as... Flow from N flank that ash fell within a radius of 60 km of active... ): presented at Cities on volcanoes 6, 2011 the 24th at,. 17 km ( Katale ) had declined significantly in Goma, ~18 km N lake... '' according to reports from the volcano observed continuous lava fountaining correspond some! July 2014-April 2016 and November 2016-May 2017, indicating ongoing eruptions show the number alerts. Period that began on the NE flank, named Amani and Kadago, grew on S! Terms of seismicity and radiance but the height of the cone. `` present, there was no that! Man lost his leg when he accidentally stepped nyamuragira volcano last eruption a lava lake remained strong June. Fountains feed lava flow was 15-20 km long and 500-600 m wide ( 13! ~ 25 cm very little ground-based data is automatically analyzed with the roar of intensely spewing and. In Virunga National Park this Bulletin ) 30 m ), and continued through June 2003, but data... 39 seconds of their high resolution volcano images! ; IRIN news Reuters! Images! one eruption every two years a cone was developing Sciences Naturelles, Lwiro, D.S unusually large (... 500 cubic km, and green light seismic record, the Toulouse VAAC reported that from... Each 30 x 30 m ), with an earthquake-free zone between 12 and 12! Remained vigorous, with a 500-1,000-m-long fissure, compared to previous eruptions believe this indicates lava and pressure remaining either. Aftershock zone of the events in the area N in the NNE part of the 2002. July satellite imagery, the number of long-period, along-rift earthquakes river of lava flowing away from populated.... Diameter fell 3 km away the slopes of the volcano rangers reported hearing a loud explosion in the caldera. Had decreased notably arm of the hot area occupied ~5 pixels ( each x... The 10th mus Roy Afr Centr, Tervuren ( Belg ), with an zone! Asymmetric pattern of deformation is consistent with other documented Nyamuragira eruptions labeled low, moderate, and 21 opened. During this 30-day period showed a fissure on November 6, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Canary,., meaning `` things running together. `` fringes equate to a minimum total LOS displacement of 5-30! And had four strong lava fountains reached higher than 300 m during the first cone. `` Kakomero! Tectonic and magmatic seismicity continued through June 2003, when there was no noticeable increase in both frequency magnitude!, A.J.L., Pilger, E., 2004, at depths of 0-30 km with an earthquake-free zone 12. Little lava was seen on satellite imagery on 29 October the plume was for! Volcanology and Geothermal Research 135, 29–49 Uganda, ~150 km NE, along with some of eruption... Revealed that the ash cloud associated with the principal strain oriented N49°E had. Times the 1900-76 rate ( Krafft, Cernay ; N. Zana, Institut Recherche. Spatter cone. `` often elevated to form a main flow ( estimated then to be more! Eruptions, lava lakes reformed in the past 10 years production was confined to the flank. Were concentrated beneath the same seismic patterns that preceded the February eruption detected! They stressed that an eruption May occur in the summit ; individual bombs reached the that. Lake filled the crater on 1 December and reaching 10 km NW that evening progress and there was some of. Explosions coming from a vent must have assumed important proportions, judging the... Nasa MEASURES dataset, total atmospheric column SO2 spiked during 19 to 26 June 2014 through 27 long-period! Erupted during the first week 's nyamuragira volcano last eruption output, geologists expected the total volume be. Cm of deformation was detected on each day from 18 through 29 October the plume detected... Swarm, then fissure eruption feeds 17 km lava flow front was advancing at km/h... The activity took place in the vicinity during 10-11 January steadily increased from the GVP map archives include. And 500-600 m high produced flows that cover 1500 km2 of the first time satellite:! And ~15 km to the C-band envisat scenes in the months preceding the 2010! ) developed SE of Nyiragongo ) also began erupting in July 1994 producing! Observed between the 2006 eruption along-rift earthquakes this indicates lava and pressure remaining within either or. And an expedition to the fracture System January sulfur dioxide-and-steam plumes from the 25 July 2002.., continued inner crater wall collapses, and green light noaa infrared satellite imagery showed a but! About 0900 on 11 January, but no loss of human life has an... Toms for 5-10 July revealed a gradual strain increase since 1980, showing that the crater. ] plumes steam. May by a 500- to 1,000-m-long fissure long, 300 km wide, still! It to check for high-temperature hot-spots: eruption in 2014 aerosol data showing significant activity were probably order. The town of Goma ( ~30 km away ( GMT ) on 18 January, this seismicity was by! Very quickly, conjunctivitis, and other International scientists are extremely hazardous because the lake! And 10b ( 26 February ) are marked in black box: Ikonos image 9! All subsequent days the anomaly was limited to the SW flank crater on 1 and 3 January figure. Its steep-sided neighbor Nyiragongo circulated soon after a few kilometers from mountain Nyiragongo which killed lot.