Nyamuragira Information from the SI/uSGS Global Volcanism Program Reports from 2001: | February | March | April | Reports from 2002: | February | July | August | October | Reports from 2003: | February-March | April-May | December | Reports from 2004: | May | Reports from 2005: | July | October- November | Reports from 2006: | November | 31 January- 6 February 2001 According to a preliminary report from USAID/OFDA, Nyamuragira began erupting at 0032 on 6 February. Observations made during a flight over the volcano revealed that there were active lava flows. The lava appeared to be flowing from two fissures; one to the W towards the town of Kitchanga, and another to the S in the direction of the town of Mugunga (Sake) and Nyiragongo volcano. Smoke was observed near the volcano and the sound of thunder was heard. Cloudy conditions prevented clear observations of the volcano. Source. US Agency for International Development/ Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance 14-20 February 2001 According to a Reuters article, the eruption at Nyamuragira that was first observed on 6 February continued at least until 18 February. There were reports of lava flowing from three cones, "flames" rising 100 m above the volcano, and ash falling over an area of 20 to 30 km2 around the volcano. Lava flowed down the S flank of the volcano, threatening to reach roads running N from the town of Goma ~30 km away. Scientists from the Lwiro Natural Science Research Centre in Bukavu said abnormal activity was initially detected in December. There was a report of one injury from the volcanic activity; a man lost his leg after accidentally stepping into a lava flow. Officials said that the effect of ash fall on crops, pastures used for grazing, and the water supply could devastate the region. Scientists from the University of Hawaii used MODIS to monitor the positions of the lava flows on the volcano. They created hot spot maps that show the positions of thermal anomalies that were detected on 7, 8, 11, and 12 February. An approximately 7x5 km large hot spot was detected on 7 February 7-10 km N of the summit. By 8 February the anomaly had increased in size and was oriented in a SSW-NNE direction; a second hot spot, ~13x6 km in size and oriented towards the E-ESE, was detected SSE of the summit. On 11 and 12 February the NNE-trending NE-flank hot spot reached a maximum distance of ~22 km and the E-trending S-flank hot spot extended ~17 km. Sources: Reuters, Andy Harris, Eric Pilger and Luke Flynn from MODIS Thermal Alerts 7-13 March 2001 The eruption at Nyamuragira that began on 5 February continued, with lava flows mainly travelling down the S flank of the volcano. The UN Integrated Regional Information Network reported on 27 February that a UN-government assessment team that visited the town of Goma, ~40 km S of the volcano, determined that ash and lava from the eruption had damaged agriculture and livestock. The team warned that there was an urgent need for food, medicine, and vegetable seeds in the affected areas of Goma, Kitshanga, and Kalungu. According to the Goma Volcanological Observatory, a new eruption began on 2 March with eruptive activity concentrated mainly on the S flank. The Observatory stated that wind had blown ash towards the W and ash fall had destroyed ~50 km2 of pasture and 150 km2 of crops up to 30 km from the volcano in the towns of Rusaya, Kirolirwe, Burungu, Minova, the Masisi territory, and the S part of Kichanga. Ash and gas from the eruption have caused many people in those areas and Goma to experience fever, diarrhea, headache, conjunctivitis, and respiratory problems. Sources: Goma Volcanological Observatory, UN Integrated Regional Information Network, Reuters 28 March- 3 April 2001 Volcanologists in the D.R. Congo reported that the intensity of the lava flows decreased in March, but there was a large amount of smoke and relatively high seismic activity. While the intensity of the lava flows lessened, registered seismic activity was at similar levels to December, before the eruption began. Volcanologists visited a new 65-m-high cone named Tumayhini that was formed from the eruption. Two other new cones, named Amani and Kadago, grew on the N side of the volcano. Sources: US Agency for International Development/ Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance 20-26 February 2002 According to news articles, a team of volcanologists from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Goma Volcanological Observatory stated that seismicity dramatically increased at Nyamuragira about 25 February. In a statement released to UN headquarters the team of volcanologists said they expect Nyamuragira to erupt within the next several days or weeks. They added that the population near the volcano should not be worried by the warning. Dario Tedesco, a UN volcanology consultant, expressed concerns that seismic activity near Lake Kivu could upset the balanced layers of carbon dioxide and methane in the bottom of the lake, leading to the release of toxic gases. Nyamuragira is ~13 km NW of Nyiragongo and ~30 km NW of the city of Goma, which was devastated by lava flows from Nyiragongo in January 2002. Nyamuragira last erupted in February 2001. Sources: Reuters, Associated Press 24-30 July 2002 An eruption began at Nyamuragira on the evening of 25 July that produced a cloud composed of steam, gas, and ash, 100- to 200-m-high lava fountains, and lava flows down the volcano's N and S flanks. According to the seismic record, the eruption began on the 25th at about 1310. National Park guards saw "smoke" rising above the volcano about an hour earlier. Around 1700, lava was seen pouring out of a fracture. Scientists who visited the crater later that day saw that the crater had been cut in two parts by a fracture: NW and SE. Sustained 100- to 200-m-high lava fountains were visible along the fracture. One lava flow traveled to the N from the several-km-long fracture, while a smaller one traveled to the S. On the 27th the lava flows were 6-7 km long and ~1 km wide. Neither flow was a threat to inhabited areas, but they caused large amounts of damage to vegetation within the National Park. Volcanic clouds produced during the eruption were detected by several satellites. Beginning on 26 July around 0000, a steam-and-ash plume was visible on METEOSAT satellite imagery, below 6 km a.s.l., drifting to the WSW. From the 26th to the 28th TOMS detected 125 to 330 kt of SO2 in a cloud that may have come from the neighboring volcano Nyiragongo, but is believed to be from Nyamuragira. A NASA satellite detected a very large plume that was 400 km long, 300 km wide, and extended to the WSW. Nyamuragira is ~20 km NW of Nyiragongo and 40 km NW of the city of Goma, which was devastated by an eruption at Nyiragongo in January 2002. Scientists do not think the eruption of Nyamuragira is a threat to residents of Goma, but the ash cloud may cause respiratory problems, and threaten animals and crops in its path. Sources: Toulouse VAAC, Air Force Weather Agency, TOMS Volcanic Emissions Group, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 1 and 2, Associated Press, Reuters 31 July-6 August 2002 Helicopter flights on 1 and 3 August revealed that the eruption that began on 25 July at Nyamuragira continued at a high rate. Two volcanic cones were visible growing on the eruptive fracture. The cones were built by the accumulation of spatter and ash from two very active 100- to 200-m-high lava fountains. Two large lava flows moved quickly and joined below the lowest cone to form a main flow. The main flow (estimated to be 15 km long) moved toward the NNE and changed direction after a few kilometers to move toward the NE. Many lateral overflows were visible on the E side of the main flow. The front of the main flow appeared to be very wide and lava covered a wide area, though it remained within the National Park boundaries. Permanent tremor was registered. The Alert Level remained at Yellow. Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 14-20 August 2002 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. They saw three very active lava fountains eject scoria about 100 m high and a very fast moving lava flow travel to the NE from a breach in the lowest part of the fracture. They estimated that about 3 million cubic meters of lava was being emitted per day. By the 7th, activity had dropped significantly, with only one weak lava fountain active and a decrease in the amount of tremor recorded. Source: Goma Volcano Observatory and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 9-15 October 2002 During a flight over Nyamuragira on 27 September, researchers confirmed that the eruption had ended. Only fumarolic activity was observed and weak tremor was recorded. Source: Goma Volcano Observatory 26 February- 4 March A seismic crisis began at Nyamuragira during the evening of 26 February, with an increase in both long-period and tectonic earthquakes and an increase in tremor amplitude. GVO received reports from residents near the volcano of possible eruptive activity, but GVO scientists' view of the volcano was obscured by clouds. Spasmodic tremor was recorded on 19 and 23 February, lasting several tens of minutes. According to GVO, this seismicity was located very close to the surface. They stated that activity at Nyamuragira was changing very rapidly and an eruption may occur in a matter of days or weeks. Source: Goma Volcano Observatory 30 April-6 May A report issued on 2 May noted an inferred renewal of activity on Nyamuragira. Residents living in the villages of Katale and Tongo, the settlements closest to the volcano, reported rumblings on 30 April, in addition to clear noises of individual explosions. At the same time on 30 April the closest seismic station (Katale) recorded 18 clear explosion signals, directly followed by an important tectonic earthquake located beneath the volcano. In the next hours seismometers registered 7 type-C events and another important tectonic earthquake. Source: Goma Volcano Observatory 10-16 December During December, seismicity continued at Nyamuragira and may have increased. Source: Goma Volcano Observatory 5-11 May 2004 The Goma Volcano Observatory reported that a new eruption at Nyamuragira, which began on 8 May at 0548, was marked by strong volcanic tremor. Activity began in the volcano's summit caldera and later propagated to the N flank. A reconnaissance flight over the volcano on 9 May revealed an active lava lake in the NNE part of the Nyamuragira caldera. The lake was ~300 m in diameter and had four strong lava fountains in it. In addition, a 2-km-long eruptive fracture on the volcano's NNW flank had several lava fountains along it and two cones being built. Lava poured from many vents, forming one main flow towards the NNW. The flows remained within the National Park boundaries and did not threaten populated areas. Ash fell in several villages on the W and N flanks of the volcano. Sources: Goma Volcano Observatory, Toulouse VAAC, Agence France-Presse 12-18 May 2004 During a flight over Nyamuragira on 12 May scientists noted that volcanic activity remained strong, but stable. 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. The lake's surface had crusted over, with three vents exhibiting Strombolian activity (lava spattering and overflows producing short lava flows). 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. The TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) Volcanic Emissions Group reported that sulfur-dioxide clouds were visible on TOMS satellite imagery since the eruption began on 8 May, although some of the gas may be attributed to emissions from neighboring Nyiragongo (~13 km SE from Nyamuragira). Sources: Goma Volcano Observatory, TOMS Volcanic Emissions Group 19-25 May 2004 The Toulouse VAAC reported that satellite imagery showed a weak eruption of ash at Nyamuragira on 25 May. Source: Toulouse VAAC 26 May- 1 June 2004 The Toulouse VAAC reported that during 26 May to 1 June there were weak but steady emissions from Nyamuragira and neighboring Nyiragongo (~13 km SE from Nyamuragira). The Goma volcano observatory confirmed that ash fell within a radius of 60 km of both volcanoes. Source: Toulouse VAAC 29 June- 5 July 2005 GVO reported that a significant seismic crisis occurred at Nyamuragira during several days in late June. The crisis consisted of swarms of mainly long-period earthquakes, which increased in number daily and peaked on 26 and 27 June. The swarms were recorded by the entire seismic network at the volcano, as far away as 90 km S of the volcano. Most of the events occurred within a 10 km radius around Nyamuragira's summit caldera and were aligned roughly N-S. The depths of the earthquakes ranged from 0 to 30 km, with two main areas of concentration; one between 15 and 25 km deep, and the other between 0 and 4 km. Based on precursory activity before previous historical eruptions at Nyamuragira, GVO reported that a new eruption might occur in the next 2-4 months. They stressed that an eruption from Nyamuragira would not threaten the city of Goma or other inhabited areas. Source: Goma Volcano Observatory (Kasereka Mahinda, GVO Scientist in Charge (mkasereka@yahoo.fr) and Jacques Durieux, UN Program Manager (jdurieux@chello.fr)) 26 October-1 November 2005 Beginning on 23 October, GVO recorded heightened seismic activity along the East African Rift and around the Virunga volcanoes when a swarm of long-period earthquakes occurred N of Nyamuragira. More than 140 events were recorded at a station 19 km E of the volcano. On 27 October at 1500, another swarm of long-period earthquakes began beneath the same area. More than 300 events were recorded until at least 28 October. At 2010, a M 4.5 tectonic earthquake occurred N of Lake Tanganika, which was followed by several aftershocks. GVO noted that this activity reinforces the likelihood of an eruption in the near future, but volcanic activity would not pose a threat to inhabited areas. The Alert Level for the nearby city of Goma remained at Yellow. Source: Goma Volcano Observatory (ovggoma@rwanda1.com, Kasereka Mahinda, GVO Scientist in Charge (mkasereka@yahoo.fr) and Jacques Durieux, UN Program Manager (jdurieux@chello.fr)) 22-28 November 2006 GVO reported that on 27 November at 2200, incandescence from a new eruption of Nyamuragira was visible from Goma, about 30 km S. The intense red glow suggested lava fountaining and flows. Sustained long-period earthquake activity had been present since 26 October. Source: Jacques Durieux, Goma Volcano Observatory 29 November-5 December 2006 Based on satellite imagery, the Toulouse VAAC reported that during 29 November-2 December emissions from Nyamuragira produced ash plumes to altitudes of 3-6.1 km (10,000-20,000 ft) a.s.l. The plumes drifted W and NW. By mid-morning on 2 December, ash plumes were no longer visible. Source: Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center