No danger to wildlife as yet November 2011: Nyamuragira, Africa's most active volcano, erupted earlier this month in a spectacular display of spewing lava, and bright orange smoke and ash in the DR Congo's Virunga National Park.
The volcano, which erupts on average every two years, is situated approximately 40km north of the city of Goma in North Kivu province, and just northwest of Virunga's other active volcano, Nyiragongo.
The eruption and lava appears to be coming from a low-level fissure on a flat area east of the volcano, with the lava flowing north toward a non-populated section of Virunga National Park.
Monitoring a nearby chimpanzee populationThe eruption, which is still in progress, appears to be of no danger to the surrounding population and the city of Goma - or the mountain gorillas and other wildlife. Scientists from the Volcanic Observatory of Goma (OVG) as well as of the National Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) will closely monitor the volcano activity and lava flow, keeping an eye on Tongo, an area north of the volcano where a population of habituated chimpanzees lives. Eruptions from Nyamuragira have been known to last for months.
Since 1882, the 3,058 meter high Nyamuragira (also known as Nyamulagira) has erupted more than 40 times, but fatalities from these eruptions are rare. Although neighbouring Nyiragongo volcano erupted violently in 2002 sending a lava flow through the city of Goma to the south, researchers at the OVG do not believe the eruption at Nyamuragira will have a major affect on the more dangerous Nyiragongo. Overnight tourist treks to the rim of Nyiragongo volcano will continue as usual.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/congo-volcano.html
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