Nyiragongo

DRCPredicting the next big

eruption

Nyiragongo

DRC

Nyiragongo

PHOTOGRAPHY Carsten Peter

Nyiragongo

WHEN?

2 mile high volcano

One of the most active volcanoes on the planet

Little research

20 years of constant Warfare

Mass migration from Rwanda

20,000 UN troops

Goma 10 Miles [16K]

Population 1 million

2 lava flows through city – 1977 + 2002

1977

60 mph

Several hundreds killed

2002

14,000 homes

350,000 flee

15 million cubic yards of lava

Houses buried to the first floor

The Players

Dario TedescoItalianEU funded

“Goma, is the most dangerous city in the world.”

“My greatest fear is to make a big mistake – not to predict and eruption.”

Ken SimsUS vulcanologistUniversity of Wyoming

Rock Climber and mountaineer

Hasn’t owned a TV set for 25 years

Fissure type eruptions …

… not the classic Plinian type

Lake 700 feet across

1800o F

Lava geysers up to 100ft

Expedition to crater lake led by Sims + Tedesco

Campsite on Terrace

Lowered to cater lake to collect zero-age sample

Every day 7000 tones of Sulphur Dioxide

‘Gas sniffer’ tests carbon dioxidecarbon monoxide + methane

RAD7 testsFor Radon

Why?Volcanoes are gas driven machines

Eruption preceded by:Increase discharged gasVariations chemical composition

Two isotopes of radon measured by radioactive clock – ratio indicates time to surface and chemical composition can be extrapolated.

Prediction piecemeal – so scientists’ visits essentialVolcanic observatory dilapidated one story building in GomaWarning flags bleached and batteredBatteries from sensors looted

Meanwhile the zero-age sample from the crater lake could be the Rosetta Stone

Biblio

• William E McNulty + Lisa R Ritter- Illustration

Written by Michael Finkel originallyCollated by MO at sbs

NGM.COM April 2011

Teachers – print panes 6 to 18 as handouts

Additional Resources