BJ Deming

Nyamuragira, November/December 2023 (December 16, 2023, 0451 UTC)

This Congolese volcano is not the world’s most dangerous volcano — Nyamuragira sits a few miles away from that one and is somewhat better behaved, keeping its lava flows either within the crater or within the Virunga Volcanoes park.

A few have headed for Goma and Lake Kivu, though, and Nyamuragira is monitored as closely as Nyiragongo is by the Goma Volcano Observatory (OVG, in French).

I’m concerned that the usual OVG sources I follow online are silent, even though Nyamuragira did this on the 18th of this month —

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

— and today has apparently turned the dial up to 11:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

That was tweeted by a reliable source a little over three hours ago, so it’s still early news, but usually one hears about such things quickly. Maybe I don’t have the right links?

I’m also concerned because there has been an M23 resurgence recently, per news reports, and renewed fighting around the volcanoes.

Will keep looking around for online news of the situation in and around Goma and post updates below.

PS: Here is the last tweet on Nyamuragira thus far from an excellent source, showing the shield volcano degassing back in October:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

And per this Facebook note, OVG reported intensified lava lake activity since the 14th.

I am surprised not to see any excited posts about Nyamuragira on either Facebook or Twitter thus far. There is usually a flood of them when either volcano lights up the sky.

Update, 4:55 p.m., Pacific: Well, Toulouse VAAC doesn’t list anything recent for Nyamuragira and I see no recent mention of the volcano in online news sources acualite.cd and Africa News.

There is no point in knocking myself out over this, then, but I will pass along any more news.

Update, 6:58 p.m., Pacific: On a break, I poked around and rediscovered the OVG bulletin page, which is current through October 21st. If my high school French is reliable, they noted lots of activity at Nyamuragira then.

Per news reports, OVG assured everyone locally on November 12th that Nyamuragira’s activity was nothing to worry about. For some reason, they have not posted a bulletin to that website about the lava lake reactivation and the amazing satellite image taken today (November 29 locally) yet. I do hope everything is okay there.

December 1, 8:08 p.m., Pacific: No word yet, but this Mongabay article summarizes the sociopolitical situation there — not good.

December 2, 2023, 2:26 p.m., Pacific: Not until I realized today that Goma Actif has not tweeted since late November did I check the news.

Fool that I was to assume that 6 million refugees and major instability/combat would make the headline news here.

I’m so old, I can remember when US journalism was all about tackling seemingly insolvable issues — or at least shining some light in dark corners.

Glad the Internet is here.

I see now that everyone in the area is in a very dangerous crisis at the moment. Thankfully, the volcanoes don’t seem to be acting up in a potentially lethal way; hope that continues.

And I just want to say to people of good will in the DRC that love, hope, and reason still exist — and always will, no matter how bitter the place each of us sometimes finds themselves in.

Hell does not last forever, any more than heaven does. Personal experience. The Buddha said it better, of course.

December 3, 2023, 3:13 p.m., Pacific:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

December 15, 8:51 p.m., Pacific: The lava lake does not look too bad in this recent view —

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

— so I will unpin this although the human situation is still appalling.

Let’s hope both volcanoes continue to behave themselves.

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