Volcano in Congo, DRC

Nyamulagira volcano: eruption status today

Updated

No eruption of Nyamulagira is being reported right now Last eruption: 1964 or later; last significant eruption 1938 (NOAA NCEI). Note: 147 satellite hot spots within 10 km in the latest FIRMS data.

Live status of Nyamulagira: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.

Status now
No open report
Last eruption
1964 or later last significant: 1938
Elevation
3,058 m 10,033 ft
Type
Shield volcano
Earthquakes within 50 km
0 past 30 days (USGS)
Hot spots within 10 km
147 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
Nearest city
Gisenyi 33 km S

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Is Nyamulagira erupting right now?

There is no open NASA EONET event for Nyamulagira right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to 1964 or later, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 1938. Volcano observatories can raise alert levels before an eruption starts, so check the national observatory for the current alert level.

NASA FIRMS shows 147 thermal hot spots within 10 km of the summit in the latest VIIRS satellite passes (strongest 186.2 MW fire radiative power). Hot spots on a volcano can be lava, a glowing vent or ordinary vegetation fires; satellites cannot tell them apart on their own.

Earthquakes near Nyamulagira

USGS has no earthquake within 50 km of Nyamulagira in the past 30 days. Outside the United States USGS mainly lists quakes above about M4, so small volcanic tremors recorded by the local observatory will not appear here.

About Nyamulagira

Nyamulagira is a shield volcano in Africa-C, Congo, DRC, rising to 3,058 m (10,033 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".

Shield volcanoes have broad, gentle slopes built by fluid lava flows; eruptions are usually effusive (lava fountains and flows) rather than explosive.

The nearest large town is Gisenyi, about 33 km S of the summit; 5 other cities lie within 250 km.

Flights and volcanic ash

No major hub airport is within 400 km (the closest is Jomo Kenyatta, 859 km away), but ash clouds from explosive eruptions can drift for thousands of kilometres along flight routes.

Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) issue the official ash advisories that airlines and air traffic control follow.

Other volcanoes in Congo, DRC

Congo, DRC has 2 volcanoes on this site that erupted since 1900 or are active now. The closest other one is Nyiragongo, 14 km away.

Nearby volcanoes

Volcanoes in Congo, DRC

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Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.