Mt Nyiragongo, congo 2002 Flashcards
where is Mt Nyiragongo located?
It lies in the Virunga mountains in the democratic republic of the congo.
how big is the main crater?
The main crater of the volcano is 250m deep, two kilometres wide and often contains a lava lake.
Risk and vulnerability- The goma area is part of what?
The fertile agricultural region
The fertile soils have done what?
Have encouraged large numbers of people to settle here, despite the presence of the volcano.
how many volcanic eruptions has there been since 1882/
34 eruptions.- not all eruptions involve lava flows.
what happens if the lava is not flowing?
the volcano does not pose a threat to people, but the flows can overwhelm agricultural areas and large swathes off the built environment.
effects- what did the lava flows destroy?
destroyed at least one third of Goma, a town with over 200,000 inhabitants.
what happened to the commercial centre?
was destroyed along with water and power supply facilities and many of the medical facilities including three health centres and one hospital.
The lava covered what?
covered the northern third of the runway at Goma airport.
what as the death toll?
The death toll reached 147.
what were the effects of the earthquakes after the eruption?
several earthquakes accompanied the eruption, one measuring over 5 on the Richter scale. These tremors were strong enough to cause structural damage to some of the buildings in the area.
what was the initial response to the eruption?
The authorities were able to issue a ‘red alert’ for Goma in the surrounding area, which enabled a full evacuation to take place.
what did the ‘red alert’ mean?
The prompt response was one of the factors which kept the death rate relatively low.
What happened two days after the eruption?
The UN was able to ferry in humanitarian aid.
what did the emergency rations initially consist of?
Such provisions as high energy biscuits, followed by more substantial food aid as communications began to improve.
