Volcano in Tanzania

Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano: eruption status today

Updated

No eruption of Ol Doinyo Lengai is being reported right now Last eruption: 1964 or later; last significant eruption 1967 (NOAA NCEI).

Live status of Ol Doinyo Lengai: 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: 1967
Elevation
2,962 m 9,718 ft
Type
Stratovolcano
Earthquakes within 50 km
0 past 30 days (USGS)
Hot spots within 10 km
0 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
Nearest city
Arusha 109 km SE

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Is Ol Doinyo Lengai erupting right now?

There is no open NASA EONET event for Ol Doinyo Lengai right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to 1964 or later, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 1967. Volcano observatories can raise alert levels before an eruption starts, so check the national observatory for the current alert level.

No satellite thermal hot spot was detected within 10 km of the summit in the latest NASA FIRMS data, so there is no sign of lava at the surface large enough for VIIRS to see (clouds can hide it).

Earthquakes near Ol Doinyo Lengai

USGS has no earthquake within 50 km of Ol Doinyo Lengai 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 Ol Doinyo Lengai

Ol Doinyo Lengai is a stratovolcano in Africa-E, Tanzania, rising to 2,962 m (9,718 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".

Stratovolcanoes are steep cones built from alternating lava and ash layers; their eruptions are often explosive, with ash columns that can reach cruising altitude.

The nearest large town is Arusha, about 109 km SE of the summit; 5 other cities lie within 250 km.

  • Arusha (109 km) earthquakes nearby
  • Moshi (171 km)
  • Ngong (178 km)
  • Ongata Rongai (179 km)
  • Kitengela (185 km)
  • Kikuyu (188 km)

Flights and volcanic ash

1 major airport is within 400 km; the closest is Jomo Kenyatta (NBO), 196 km away. Volcanic ash melts in jet engines, so an explosive eruption can close airspace and cancel flights even far downwind.

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

AirportDistanceDirection
Jomo Kenyatta (NBO)196 kmNE

Other volcanoes in Tanzania

Tanzania has 2 volcanoes on this site that erupted since 1900 or are active now. The closest other one is Meru, 107 km away.

Nearby volcanoes

Volcanoes in Tanzania

More

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