Nyamulagira (3058 m a.s.l.) is a shield volcano located in the Virunga (North Kivu, D.R. Congo), a volcanic province of the western branch of the East African Rift. Its summit is shaped by a 2 x 2.3 km caldera. More than 100 adventive cones are scattered along its flanks and in the lava plain at its base.
Nyamulagira erupted ca 40 times since the late 19th century, with an increase in eruption frequency in the last 30 years. These eruptions are characterized by lava fountains building up a pyroclastic cone around the vent, long lava flows able to reach tens of kilometers, together with the emission of very large amounts of SO2. Most eruptions take place along a NW-SE fracture network that crosses the main edifice.
The most recent eruptions of the volcano were monitored by the Goma Volcano Observatory, in collaboration with the GORISK Scientific Network.
Frequent activity reports were produced during the 2010 and 2011-12 eruptions. These reports are available here :
