What type of volcano is nyamuragira?

Esther FlemingMay 30, 2021

What type of volcano is nyamuragira?

basaltic shield volcano
Nyamuragira is Africa’s and one of the world’s most active volcano. It erupts roughly every two years, producing large fluid lava flows. Nyamuragira is is a massive high-potassium basaltic shield volcano located about 25 km north of Lake Kivu in the East African Rift Valley NW of Nyiragongo volcano.

Are volcanic eruptions explosive?

Volcanic eruptions can be explosive, sending ash, gas and lava high up into the atmosphere, or the magma can form lava flows, known as effusive eruptions. Whether an eruption is explosive or effusive largely depends upon the amount of gas in the magma.

Is an effusive volcano quiet or explosive?

Terminology and Definition. Eruptions occur when pressure inside the volcano increases, causing its molten liquid rock to shift and release its energy. Technically speaking, “quiet” eruptions are known as effusive eruptions.

How big was the eruption of the Nyamuragira volcano?

That eruption produced a 400-meter high column of lava, and it is said to have been its largest eruption in 100 years. In 2014, a new lava lake appeared at the volcano for the first time in 75 years. The previous lava lake at the volcano was emptied in the 1938 lava flow. The formation of the new lake occurred between June and August 2014.

Where does the name Nyamuragira come from?

Nyamuragira, also known as Nyamulagira, is an active shield volcano in the Virunga Mountains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, situated about 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Lake Kivu. The name is derived from the Kifuru and kishi verb Kuragira ngavu, meaning to herd cows; ngavu means cow or cows.

Which is more powerful, a volcanic eruption or a nuclear explosion?

Very large volcanic eruptions are vastly more powerful than nuclear explosions. Mt. St. Helens was a VEI 5 eruption – significant but not large. The usual figure supplied is that is was equal to a 24 megaton nuclear explosion. That is a very very large nuclear blast, but the Tsar Bomba was larger at 50 megatons.

How big was the eruption of Tambora in 1815?

The average nuclear warhead in modern arsenals has a yield between 100 kilotons and 1 megaton. The 1815 eruption of Tambora which caused the “Year Without a Summer” was rated as a Volcanic Eruption Intensity (VEI) of 7; and is usually equates to an 800 megaton nuclear explosion.

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What type of volcano is Nyamuragira?

Esther FlemingOctober 31, 2020

What type of volcano is Nyamuragira?

Why is Nyamuragira a shield volcano?

In contrast to its neighbor, Nyamuragira (or Nyamulagira) Volcano is a shield volcano, composed of old lava flows, that derives its description from its resemblance to an ancient warrior shield.

What type of plate tectonics activity is associated with Nyiragongo?

Along this divergent plate boundary are volcanoes such as Mount Nyiragongo, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mount Kilimanjaro, in Kenya. At a convergent plate boundary, tectonic plates move toward one another and collide.

How was the Nyiragongo volcano formed?

Volcanism at Nyiragongo is caused by the rifting of the Earth’s crust where two parts of the African Plate are breaking apart. A hot spot is probably also partly responsible for the great activity at Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira. The lava emitted in eruptions at Nyiragongo is often unusually fluid.

Where is the Nyamuragira volcano in East Africa?

Nyamuragira is is a massive high-potassium basaltic shield volcano located about 25 km north of Lake Kivu in the East African Rift Valley NW of Nyiragongo volcano. How dangerous is a volcanic eruption?

Where does the name Nyamuragira come from?

How are plate boundaries related to volcanic activity?

Sometimes, the plates collide with one another or move apart. Volcanoes are most common in these geologically active boundaries. The two types of plate boundaries that are most likely to produce volcanic activity are divergent plate boundaries and convergent plate boundaries. At a divergent boundary, tectonic plates move apart from one another.

What was the cause of the Eyjafjallajokull eruption?

The diverging Eurasian and North American plates caused the eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull (in 2010) and Bardarbunga (in 2014). These eruptions were preceded by significant rift ing and cracking on the ground surface, which are also emblematic of diverging plate movement. Of course, divergent plate boundaries also exist on land.