Located inside Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa, Mount Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano with an elevation of approximately 3500 meters. A stratovolcano is a cone volcano that is built up by many layers of lava, pumice, tephra, and ash. The lava lake that it contains is the most voluminous in history, recorded at 600 meters prior to eruption in 1977.
The lava that is emitted from the volcano is unusually fluid and may reach speeds of 100 kilometers per hour when flowing down the volcano's sides. The low silica content of the lava causes it to be less viscous than lava from most volcanos.
Not much is known about how long Mount Nyiragongo has been erupting, but since 1882, 34 eruptions have been recorded. Churning lava lakes in the volcano's center often occur as continuous activity. The last eruption occurred in 2002.
The volcano is constantly monitored by a team of scientists at the Goma Volcanic Observatory. It is monitored 24/7. Seismic data is produced every four minutes and temperature data is produced every ten minutes.
Despite the fact that this volcano is one of the most dangerous in the world, the area at the foot of Mount Nyiragongo is dotted with highly populated villages, including the village of Goma.