Nyamuragira
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Nyamuragira, also known as Nyamulagira, is an active shield volcano in the Virunga Mountains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, situated about Template:Convert north of Lake Kivu. The name is derived from Mashi language.
It has been described as Africa's most active volcano<ref>Template:Citation</ref> and has erupted over 40 times since 1885.<ref name =cnn>Template:Cite web</ref> As well as eruptions from the summit, there have been numerous eruptions from the flanks of the volcano, creating new smaller volcanoes that have lasted only for a short time (e.g. Murara from late 1976 to 1977).
Recent eruptions occurred on 2 January 2010,<ref name =cnn/> 8 November 2011Template:Citation needed and 23 May 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Geography and geology
Nyamuragira volcano is an active volcano near the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, situated about Template:Convert north of Lake Kivu. It is in the Nord-Kivu Province. It is Template:Convert north-north-west of Nyiragongo, the volcano which caused extensive damage to the city of Goma in its 2002 eruption.
Nyamuragira has a volume of Template:Convert, and covers an area of Template:Convert. It has a low shield profile and contrasts with adjacent steep-sided Nyiragongo volcano.
Nyamuragira volcano is responsible for a large portion of the sulfur dioxide released into the atmosphere by volcanoes.
Recent activity
2010 eruption
At dawn on 2 January 2010 Nyamuragira began spewing out lava flows. There are no settlements close to the volcano, but wildlife officials feared that the eruption may threaten the chimpanzees in the area. Another danger was that the lava could have flowed into the southern sector of Virunga National Park, where there are settlements and villages.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Extensive lava flows from the 2010 eruption can be seen on satellite photographs<ref>Google Earth Template:Webarchive shows the crater and lava flows very clearly at coordinates -1.408333, 29.200000</ref> reaching Template:Convert south-west to Lake Kivu, about Template:Convert north-west and Template:Convert north-north-east.
2011 eruption
The volcano erupted again on 5 November 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
That eruption produced a Template:Convert high column of lava, and it is said to have been its largest eruption in 100 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2014 lava lake
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In 2014, a new lava lake appeared at the volcano for the first time in 75 years. The previous lava lake at the volcano was emptied in the 1938 lava flow. The formation of the new lake occurred between June and August 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It reached a depth of Template:Convert. The eruption did not affect the communities in the area but left a lot of ash and air pollution. Sulfate aerosols formed by volcanic sulfur dioxide from the eruptions were observed as far away as over the central Amazon rain forest in South America.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> By 2018, the lava lake had hardened and the activity appeared to have stopped. Eruptive activity continues during 2021 at the summit caldera. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2021 lava lake
In 2021, a lava lake appeared at the volcano based on a June 11 satellite image.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2024 caldera overflow
On July 26, 2024, lava began to overflow the northern caldera rim and flowed towards the northwest. This was accompanied by a large increase in effusive lava output. The flow advanced 5Template:Nbspkm in the first day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Etymology
The name "Nyamulagira" originates from the Mashi language, spoken by the Bashi people of the Kivu region. According to oral histories and traditional tales, it is derived from the verb kulagiriza, which means "to cause suffering".<ref> | type = oral history | first = Cimalamungo Namugobe | last = de Kalehe | title = Traditions on the Nyamulagira Volcano | year = oral transmission</ref>
Oral traditions report that during the volcano's eruptions, local people would exclaim "Rwamalagiriza" or "Namalagiriza" to express their distress in the face of the disasters caused by lava flows. This phrase, passed down through stories, means "misfortune has befallen me" or "I am suffering".<ref> | type = folktale | title = Rwamalagiriza and the Wrath of the Mountain | collection = Stories from the Elders of Masisi</ref>
The evolution of "Rwamalagiriza" into "Nyamulagiriza" and finally into "Nyamulagira"—literally meaning "the one who causes suffering" to refer to the volcano—is documented in the accounts of local communities.<ref> | type = oral account | community = Bashi | location = Kivu | title = Origin of the Volcanoes' Names</ref>