Mount Nyiragongo

volcano · Africa · lava lake

Fiery lava lake. Mount Nyiragongo has a lava lake sitting right in its main crater, which is about two kilometers wide. The molten rock glows red and orange, making it one of the most spectacular volcanic features on Earth.

Located in Congo. This volcano sits in the Virunga Mountains in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just 12 kilometers north of a town called Goma. It is inside Virunga National Park, one of Africa's most important wildlife areas.

Towering giant. Mount Nyiragongo rises 3,470 meters (11,385 feet) into the sky, making it tall enough that the air gets cold and thin near the top. The volcano is part of a chain of mountains called the Virunga.

Cooled lava shelves. Inside the crater, there are two flat benches made of hardened lava at different heights on the crater walls. These frozen lava platforms show how the molten rock has cooled and solidified over time.

Still very active. Nyiragongo is not a sleeping volcano, it is actively alive and erupting. Scientists monitor it closely because it sits close to where people live, including the nearby town of Goma.