Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Rungwe.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Rungwe.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Rungwe.

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

222166

1250 CE

2,953 m / 9,688 ft

9.135°S
33.668°E

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Composite

Volcano Types
Stratovolcano
Pyroclastic cone(s)
Lava dome

Rock Types

Major
Trachyte / Trachydacite
Phonolite
Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

644
20,713
393,819
2,299,914

Geological Summary

Rungwe volcano, the largest in the Karonga basin NW of Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa), is cut by a 4-km-wide caldera that is breached to the WSW. Hummocky terrain from a debris-avalanche deposit produced by collapse of the summit and western flank extends at least 20 km SW of the volcano. The trachytic caldera is largely filled by a series of youthful-looking uneroded and sparsely vegetated pumice cones, lava domes, and explosion craters. The latter are also found on the southern and northern flanks. A large area of basaltic cones and lava flows are found on the NW flank, and youthful-looking lava flows extend SW from vents inside the caldera. Explosive and effusive eruptions were produced during the Holocene; the largest explosive eruption took place about 4,000 years ago, and the most recent about 1,200 years ago.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Ebinger C J, Deino A L, Drake R E, Tesha A L, 1989. Chronology of volcanism and rift basin propagation: Rungwe volcanic province, East Africa. J. Geophys. Res, 94: 15,785-15,803.

Fontijn K, Ernst G G J, Elburg M A, Williamson D, Abdallah E, Kwelwa S, Mbede E, Jacobs P, 2010. Holocene explosive eruptions in the Rungwe Volcanic Province, Tanzania . J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 196: 91-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2010.07.021

Harkin D A, 1960. The Rungwe volcanics at the northern end of Lake Nyasa. Geol Surv Tanganyika Mem, 2: 1-172.

IAVCEI, 1973-80. Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World. IAVCEI Data Sheets, Rome: Internatl Assoc Volc Chemistry Earth's Interior.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 3 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

1250 ± 40 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Kizungu Tephra

1250 ± 40 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Kizungu Tephra

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
	- - - -	- - - -	Pumice

0050 BCE ± 100 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive) VEI: 4

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Isongole Pumice

0050 BCE ± 100 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at Isongole Pumice

Start Date	End Date	Event Type
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Ash
- - - -	- - - -	Pumice
0050 BCE	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

2050 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive) VEI: 5

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Rungwe Pumice

2050 BCE (?) - Unknown

Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at Rungwe Pumice

Start Date	End Date	Event Type
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Lapilli
- - - -	- - - -	Pumice
2050 BCE (?)	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Lusiba

Crater

Ndwati

Crater

Sama

Crater

Photo Gallery

The summit of Rungwe is seen from WNW with the scarp resulting from edifice collapse in the background. At the left-center is a cone breached by a lava flow towards the S to SW (right). Rungwe volcano is the largest in the Karonga basin NW of Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa) and is capped by a 4-km-wide caldera that is breached to the west. The caldera is largely filled by a series of youthful-looking uneroded and sparsely vegetated pumice cones, lava domes, and explosion craters.

Photo by Karen Fontijn, 2008 (University of Ghent).

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Rungwe in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Rungwe. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Rungwe. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Rungwe

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).