Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano

29 Oct 2024 10:37:09 am

Tags : Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano

Topic: Volcanoes

Why in the news?

Satellite data suggest Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano in Tanzania that expels extremely runny lava could be creeping toward an eruption.The land around it is bulging, suggesting magma may be accumulating in a shallow reservoir beneath the surface. The movement could be a precursor to an eruption, researchers say.
Ol Doinyo Lengai is an active volcano that erupts the runniest lava on Earth.

Source: The Hindu

About Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano:

It is located in northern Tanzania, at the southern end of Lake Natron.
It is known to the local Maasai people as the “Mountain of God.
It is an active stratovolcano with unique geological characteristics.
It rises to an elevation of 2,878 m.
It is situated along the East African Rift System.
It contains basalts rich in sodium and potassium, and is so alkaline that its lavas resemble washing soda.
It has more than one active centre and most of the recent eruptions were from its northern crater.
Why is it a rare volcano? This volcano is the only one existing on Earth which has an actively erupting and extremely runny carbonatite magma. The magma is saturated with alkali elements, like calcium and sodium and is poor in silica.