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"Mesmerizing" Sight
Photograph courtesy LuAnne Cadd, Virunga Gorilla Park
The erupting Nyamulagira (also known as Nyamuragira) volcano reddens the sky on Sunday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (See an interactive cutaway of the Nyamulagira volcanic region.)
Nyamulagira, which generally erupts every two years, rumbled to life at 8:06 p.m., spewing lava, smoke, and ash throughout Virunga National Park. The volcano sits within the park, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of the city of Goma (map).
The park's communications officer, LuAnne Cadd, first got a phone call about the event from rangers, who'd heard noises like gunshots, she said.
Cadd immediately went outside to take pictures of the nighttime spectacle, which was occurring an estimated 6 to 12 miles (10 to 20 kilometers) west of park headquarters in Rumanbago, she said. (See a park map.)
"What's quite astonishing is how bright it is, how it lights up the sky with a red glow, and the sound. We can hear the dull roar of it, especially at night in our tents," she told National Geographic News via email.
"I'm actually looking at it while I'm talking to you—it's so amazing, just a monstrous fountain" of lava, Cadd said.
"It's mesmerizing and hard to pull your eyes away from it."
Experts say the volcano could continue erupting for weeks and even months, Cadd added.
(See "Huge Impact Crater Found in Remote Congo.")
—Christine Dell'Amore
Published November 7, 2011
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Wall of Lava
Photograph courtesy LuAnne Cadd, Virunga Gorilla Park
A low-level fissure on a flat area east of the Nyamulagira volcano appears to be the source of the lava, which is now moving toward an unpopulated part of Virunga, according to a park statement.
"The volcano isn't expected to cause fatalities for humans, but the lava flow is heading north, and there's an area called Tongo in that direction, where a family of habituated chimpanzees live—so we'll be keeping a close eye on that," Cadd said.
The park's famous mountain gorillas can likely see the erupting volcano, but they're not in danger, she added.
Read more about the Virunga gorillas.)
Published November 7, 2011
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Slumbering Giant
Photograph by Patrick Aventurier, Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
In quieter times, mist shrouds Nyamulagira volcano—part of the Virunga volcano chain—in 2003.
The neighboring Nyiragongo volcano erupted violently in 2002, sending a lava flow through Goma, to the south.
Though volcanic eruptions can sometimes trigger other volcanoes, Nyamulagira's new eruption won't likely have an effect on the more volatile Nyiragongo, according to scientists at the Volcanic Observatory of Goma.
(Also see "Pictures: America's Ten Most Dangerous Volcanoes.")
Published November 7, 2011
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Nature's Fury
Photograph from MONUC/UN/Reuters
Nyamulagira—Africa's most active volcano—erupts on November 28, 2006.
Since 1882 the 10,000-foot-high (3,000-meter-high) Nyamulagira has erupted more than 40 times, including a major eruption in 1938, according to a park statement.
Despite the volcano's frequent activity, human fatalities are rare.
(See "Pictures: Volcano Supercharges Sunsets Far and Wide.")
Published November 7, 2011
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Orange Skies at Night
Photograph courtesy LuAnne Cadd, Virunga Gorilla Park
Trees are silhouetted against Nyamulagira's lava on Sunday night.
Cadd, the Virunga communications officer, said many people working at the national park—herself included—had hoped to witness a volcanic eruption.
"I've climbed many active and dormant volcanoes but have never seen one erupt before," she said.
"It's spectacular and incredibly awe-inspiring. Nature in its fury can be breathtaking."
(See "Volcano Pictures: First Descent Into a Magma Chamber.")
Published November 7, 2011
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