Mt Nyiragongo

• Location/Date


  Sub-Saharan Africa, Congo/2021
• Tectonic setting of the area

  Formed in a Rift Valley
• Human setting of the area

  LIC; 200,000 people in Goma
• Type of volcano + explosivity

  Composite volcano, effusive erruption, VEI: 1, basaltic magma
• Frequency


  Always active
• Hazards triggered


  Lava, gas and fires
• Environmental impacts of the hazard

  Carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide released in large quantaties.
• Social impacts of the hazard

  32 killed (mostly through asphyxiation), 20,000 lost their homes
• Economic impacts of the hazard

  Electricity cut and cost $20 million to rebuild the city
• Political impacts of the hazard

  Residents blamed Goma Volcano Observatory for not providing accurate warning of the eruption as prediction was made for an erruption between 2024 and 2027. World bank cut their funding following allegations of corruption.
• Short term response


  Caritas provided immediate medical aid
• What plate margins is Mount Nyiragongo located on?

  The volcano is located above a hot spot on the West African Rift Valley in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The West African Rift is an embryonic plate margin created by the separation of the Nubian Plate and the Somali Plate at a constructive plate margin which is effectively splitting the African Plate into two.
• Where abouts in the Democratic Republic of Congo is Mount Nyiragongo located?

  Mount Nyiragongo is located near the Rwanda border, 50 km north of the city Goma, which has a population of 500,000.
• Describe the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo (including the date).

  Mount Nyiragongo erupted on 17th January 2002, spewing material 6 metres into the air. Fissures opened up creating three lava flows of basaltic lava which, due to the steep slopes, flowed up to 40 mph. The eruption measured between 2 and 4 on the VEI scale.
• Social effects of the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo:


  •Lava flows destroyed 14 villages.

  •The heat of the lava ignited nearby buildings. Fires spread throughout Goma, damaging or destroying nearly half the buildings.

  •80% of the infrastructure in Goma was destroyed by flames.

  •Lava flows destroyed Goma airport and ignited aviation fuel stores.

  •Over 100 people died as a direct result of the volcanic eruption. These deaths were due to: burns from the lava, hot rock or fires, the high concentrations of poisonous gases that were emitted from the lava and the destruction of infrastructure that provided vital supplies, such as water.

  •1000 people are estimated to have died when they fled to nearby Rwanda where a civil war was raging at the time.

  •Around 16000 homes were destroyed, including 20% of all homes in Goma, leaving 120,000 homeless.

  •The lava set off explosions at power plants and fuel stores.

  •Cholera spread due to lack of sanitation in the areas where people fled to.
• Economic effects of the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo:


  •Unemployment levels increased dramatically in the local area, causing wages to drop and non-essential businesses being forced to close.

  •One month after the eruption 350,000 people were dependant on aid.
• Environmental effects of the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo:


  •By 19th January the eruption was mostly over but large earthquakes continued.

  •New fissures opened on the outskirts of Goma.

  •Creation of fertile farmland.

  •When the lava eventually cooled black rock, up to 3 metres deep in places, was formed.
• Immediate responses after the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo:


  •No immediate response after small earthquakes in the area. (Earthquakes often indicate that a volcano will erupt immediately.)

  •Batteries had been stolen from the sensors rendering them ineffective.

  •Half a million people were evacuated from Goma. This migration was unplanned and unauthorised - radios reported that people in the city would be safe. This mass movement was probably one of the most rapid enforced migrations to ever take place after a natural disaster. The speed of the eruption was not expected by the local population, they had 5 minutes to leave.

  •The eruption could have been better predicted. However, Nyiragongo is in a very remote area in a country with limited scientific resources.

  •Around 300,000 people fled to neighbouring war torn Rwanda in the North West. The United Nations predicted that there would be a human catastrophe as there was no shelter, electricity, sewage system or running water there. Aid agencies such as Christian Aid and Oxfam wanted people to return to Goma in order that they could organise the distribution of food, medicine and blankets. Within a week most people returned to Goma and the surrounding villages.

  •UN troops were already in the country and helped with the response effort.

  •The lava flow filled the roads, making it difficult to provide aid in some areas of Goma.
• Long term responses of the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo:

  •5 months after the eruption small stalls opened on the lava, selling sweets, cigarettes and vehicle fuel.

  •Business owners rebuilt their infrastructure and began working again.

  •The international community has funded a volcanic observatory to monitor any future volcanic activity in order that people can be warned and evacuated earlier and safer. They now estimate that 3 weeks warning can be given before an eruption.

  •School children now learn about the volcano - they will pass this information on to their families and the community, increasing awareness in the local population.

  •It was 1 month until electricity returned to the city.

  •1 year for the power plants to be working again.

  •Many MEDCs were reluctant to provide long term aid and investment due to concerns over political instability in the country - there has been around 40 years of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Lava flows were up to 10km wide, with some reaching speeds of over 65 km/h
• Around 2 million people were affected by the eruption
• Lava flows from the summit crater are common during periods of high activity.
• Nyiragongo has experienced several major eruptions over the past century, including one in 1977 that destroyed nearby villages and killed hundreds of people.