Nyamuragira

Nyamuragira
Nyamuragira (left) and Nyiragongo (right). Vertical scale exaggerated (1.5x).
Highest point
Elevation	3,058 m (10,033 ft)
Coordinates	1°24′29″S 29°12′00″E / 1.408°S 29.2°E / -1.408; 29.2Coordinates: 1°24′29″S 29°12′00″E / 1.408°S 29.2°E / -1.408; 29.2
Geography
Nyamuragira Democratic Republic of the Congo
Location	Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Parent range	Virunga Mountains
Geology
Mountain type	Shield volcano
Last eruption	2014

Nyamuragira (Derived from the Kinyarwanda verb 'Kuragira inka', meaning to herd cows; Inka means cow or cows) is an active volcano in the Virunga Mountains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, situated about 25 km north of Lake Kivu.

It has been described as Africa's most active volcano and has erupted over 40 times since 1885. 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 and 8 November 2011.

Nyamuragira volcano is an active volcano in the Virunga Mountains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, situated about 25 km north of Lake Kivu. It is in the Province of Nord-Kivu. (It is 13 km 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 500 cubic km, and covers an area of 1,500 km². 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.

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.

Extensive lava flows from the 2010 eruption can be seen on satellite photographs reaching 25 km south-west to Lake Kivu, about 22 km north-west and 35 km north-north-east.