New Nyiragongo Lava Lake Lets Volcano ‘Breathe’ – Experts

Experts in DR Congo say the reappearance of a lava lake in the crater of the Nyiragongo volcano in eastern DR Congo is a good sign.

Celestin Kasereka Mahinda, the scientific director of the Goma Volcanology Observatory, said the “reappearance of the lava lake in Nyiragongo’s crater” dates from September 18.

He said it is not a phenomenon that presents an imminent risk of a new eruption, but rather a phenomenon that allows the volcano to breathe, adding that the appearance of this lake of fire in the crater will minimize earthquakes in the volcanic area of Goma.”

Nyiragongo’s eruption on May 22nd-23rd spewed out lava that buried homes in its wake, stopping just short of the northern outskirts of Goma, a city of some 600,000 people.

In the days following the eruption in May, mighty tremors shook Goma, and scientists feared a rare but potentially catastrophic event under nearby Lake Kivu that would send carbon dioxide gas, dissolved in the depths of the water, up to the surface and suffocate everyone in the vicinity.

The Democratic Republic of Congo authorities ordered the evacuation of 400,000 people as a precaution. The residents have largely returned since seismic activity fell back.

After the eruption, the disappearance of lava from the crater sparked fears that it remained buried under Goma.

In the previous major eruption in 2002, around 100 people died and swathes of eastern Goma were destroyed.

Nyiragongo’s deadliest eruption, in 1977, claimed more than 600 lives.