Front Row Seat to Erupting Volcano in Congo’s Virunga National Park

By ⋅ November 15, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment
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When a volcano erupts, perhaps the best advice we’ve heard is … turn around and run!

But for today’s Geo Quiz — we’re going in for a closer look:

A volcano began putting on a show about a week ago in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Virunga National Park has a front row seat for the eruptions. So guides there are leading overnight expeditions. They pitch tents near the south slope for tourists to watch lava shooting up 500 feet into the air.

“It’s quite chilly up here because we’re quite high up in the mountains, but the campsite itself is actually warm because of the heat of the lava that radiates all the way almost a mile to where the camp is so yea you can definitely “feel the lava.”

So where can you “feel the lava”?

Try to come up with the name of this volcano in Central Africa if you can. It’s part of the Virunga Mountains that sprawl across the borders of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

Time to get some help now answering our Geo Quiz about the volcano in Central Africa.

But rather than asking a volcanologist for a technical analysis of the volcanic smoke and lava.

We called up Cai Tjeeenk Willink, a staffer at Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The answer is Mount Nyamulagira.

Mount Nyamulagira (Photo: Cai Tjeeenk Willink)

Mount Nyamulagira (Photo: Cai Tjeeenk Willink)

Discussion

4 comments for “Front Row Seat to Erupting Volcano in Congo’s Virunga National Park”

  • http://www.facebook.com/kevin.marvel Kevin Marvel

    Really interesting eruption…wish they had better sound.

  • terry ngwafor

    ….there is more to life than….hard times; awesome, amazing pictures; i missed such an opportunity when we had one just in my backyard in the beachfront sleepy town of Victoria…..

    • http://www.facebook.com/hetabesong Harry Eta-Besong

      this reminds me of the volcanic eruption on the fako mt.some years back when i was UB as a student.its usually draw alot ofple to d site.and d locals make money well.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=882115182 Greg Meyer

    This is an amazing story, but the international news media will not get to it in time, because it is Africa. It is a shame.  Where are you CNN? Where are you ABC?