Nyiragongo is seen here from the S across Lake Kivu at Peyer Yard in Rwanda. It contained a lava lake in its deep summit crater that was active for half a century before draining suddenly in 1977. In contrast to the low profile of the nearby Nyamuragira shield volcano, Nyiragongo displays the steep slopes of a stratovolcano. About 100 smaller cones are located primarily along radial fissures east of the summit and along a NE-SW zone extending as far as Lake Kivu.

Photo by B. Martinelli, 1994 (courtesy of Jack Lockwood, U.S. Geological Survey).

This image is made available under the Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 license terms.

Galleries: Stratovolcanoes

Keywords: stratovolcano | volcanic gas | plume

Nyiragongo