Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano in Congo
Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano in Congo

Video: Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano in Congo

Video: Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano in Congo
Video: Колыма - родина нашего страха / Kolyma - Birthplace of Our Fear - YouTube 2024, November
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Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano
Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano

Once in Virunga National Park in the Republic of the Congo, one can easily believe that Sauron's possessions really exist. The boiling lava of the Nyiragongo volcano is in no way inferior to the fire-breathing Mordor. Nyiragongo - one of eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, it is located 20 km north of the city of Goma and Lake Kivu. This is one of the most active volcanoes in Africa; in its crater (about 2 km wide) it periodically forms hot lava lake.

Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano
Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano

The lava lake in the Nyiragongo crater is the largest in the world, its depth varies depending on the activity of the volcano: in different years it ranged from 3250 m to 600 m. Nyiragongo erupts very often, 34 eruptions have been recorded since 1882.

Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano
Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano

The unique lake was formed due to the fact that the erupting lava is unusually liquid and fluid. This is due to its special chemical composition - it contains very little quartz. Lava flows flowing along the slope of the volcano can reach a speed of 100 km / h, occasionally they reach the city, posing a danger to residents.

Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano
Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano

The most dangerous eruption occurred on January 10, 1977, when lava broke the walls of the crater. The disaster took less than an hour to flood several nearby villages, killing at least 70 people (according to official figures). According to other sources, the number of victims has reached several thousand.

Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano
Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano

During another major eruption on January 17, 2002, the lava flow that rushed towards the city was huge: up to 1000 m wide and up to 2 m deep. 400,000 people were evacuated from the city. Despite the precautions, about 147 people died in the eruption from asphyxiation, carbon dioxide, and many buildings were destroyed by the earthquake.

Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano
Hot lava lake in the crater of Nyiragongo volcano

Nyiragongo is an active volcano; in June 2010, a group of scientists and fearless travelers climbed the shore of a lava lake. Photos of the fire-breathing element were taken by Oliver Grunewald.

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