Case Study - Mt Nyiragongo

Question 1

Location.

Answer 1

Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa.

11,000 feet high.

Question 2

Type of volcano.

Answer 2

Active Stratovolcano.

Question 3

Crater size.

Answer 3

2km wide.

Contains lava lake - 250m deep (largest in world)

Question 4

How active is it?

Answer 4

Erupted 34 times since 1882.

Question 5

Why is it active?

Answer 5

Sits above point where African plate is moving apart.

Hotspot also responsible.

Question 6

Lava type.

Answer 6

Balsaltic lava.

Lava flows with low viscosity move up to 100km per hour due to low silica content.

Question 7

Lava temperature.

Answer 7

2,000 degrees farahn height.

Question 8

Name some risks?

Answer 8

Gases.
Lava lake.
Congonese people provided no protection.
Tsunamis.
Acid rain/smog/lava bombs.

Question 9

Name some dangerous gases.

Answer 9

Carbon dioxide.
Methane.
Cause suffocation.

Question 10

How is the lava lake dangerous?

Answer 10

Flood Goma or explode or lava bombs.

Question 11

Name some immediate responses?

Answer 11

Authorities issued RED alert for Goma - evacuation.
2 days after the United Nations began humanitarian aid.
Lava flows made access to Goma difficult, meaning aid agencies unable to access road.

Question 12

Name some long term responses?

Answer 12

Higher cost of rebuiling.
People suffered from burns as lava took ages to cool.
Camps set up to aid displaced population.
Observatory sampling of lake, gases.
Practice drills.

Question 13

Why did eruption occur?

Answer 13

Months of increased earthquke and steam/gas eruptions.

Resulting in a 13km fissure opening on south flank of volcano.

Question 14

Where did the lava erupt out of?

Answer 14

3 points on the fissure and moved in a stream 200 to 1000m wide and up to 2km deep through Goma, who had little warning.

Question 15

How many people were evacuated from city?

Answer 15

400,000 resulting in low death toll.

Question 16

Why was there limited protection/prediction?

Answer 16

Due to poltical unrest.
LIC.
Difficult to monitor volcano and put responses in place.

Question 17

What did the eruption measure on VEI scale?

Answer 17

1.

Question 18

Name 3 social impacts?

Answer 18

350,000 dependent on aid.
120,000 made homeless.
People returned to Goma a month after eruption hoping to find aid.

Question 19

Name 3 environmental impacts?

Answer 19

Sulphurous lake entered Lake Kivu, poisoning water supplies - drinking source.
Aviation fuel stores exploded as lava lake damaged Goma airport.
Lava flows destroyed at least 1/3 of Goma.

Question 20

Name 3 economic impacts?

Answer 20

People lost their businesses and jobs.
Around 15% of Goma including 4500 buildings destroyed.
Looting.