RAPID: Archive at-risk collection of Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira samples from DR Congo

About This Grant

Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira in the Virunga Volcanic Province of the East African Rift are two of the most active volcanoes in Africa. Nyiragongo is a spectacular, active stratovolcano (3470 meters above sea level) that towers over the city of Goma, DR Congo (population of 820,000, not counting urban areas) and hosts the world’s largest lava lake in its summit crater. Nyiragongo looms within 20 km of the major population centers of Goma and neighboring Gisenyi, Rwanda, and its unusual lavas have extremely low viscosities that move with velocities of up to tens of kilometers per hour, making it one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. Nyamuragira, albeit a mere 15 km to the northwest of Nyiragongo, is a shield volcano that erupts more ordinary basaltic lavas and is often referred to as Africa’s most active volcano, with 32 confirmed eruptions since 1938, with eruptions occurring on average every three years. Both volcanoes are extremely hard to access as they are in one of the remotest parts of Africa, and they are also in an active war zone. The Sims volcanology research group has been studying and collecting samples from these volcanoes for nearly twenty years. The current collection of samples housed at the University of Wyoming includes 48 samples from Nyiragongo (34) and Nyamuragira (14). This NSF funding will ensure that this unique collection of samples is properly curated in perpetuity for future generations of researchers in the National Rock and Ore Collection, Department of Mineral Sciences at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History. Nyiragongo is a spectacular, active stratovolcano (3470 meters above sea level) that towers over the city of Goma, DR Congo (population of 820,000, not counting urban areas). Nyiragongo’s unusual lavas are some of the most highly silica-undersaturated on the planet, with SiO2 concentrations as low as 33% (Demant et al., 2004). These foiditic lavas have extremely low viscosities and move with velocities of up to tens of kilometers per hour (Tedesco et al., 2007). Nyiragongo is also a dangerous volcano. It often hosts one of the world’s largest lava lakes and looms within 20 km of the major population centers of Goma and neighboring Gisenyi, Rwanda. Destructive eruptions in 1977, 2002, and 2021 claimed many lives and devastated infrastructure in this war-torn region. A mere 15 km northwest of Nyiragongo, Nyamuragira is a shield volcano that erupts more ordinary alkaline lavas with SiO2 as low as 43%. Nyamuragira is Africa’s most active volcano. There have been 32 confirmed eruptive events at Nyamuragira since 1938, with eruptions occurring on average every three years. Both volcanoes are extremely hard to access as they are in one of the remotest parts of Africa, and they are also in an active war zone. The Sims volcanology research group has been studying and collecting samples from these volcanoes, including rappelling to their craters and active lava lakes for nearly twenty years. Sims’ collection of samples includes 48 samples from Nyiragongo (34) and Nyamuragira (14). Geochemical and isotopic data for these samples include major and trace element data, uranium-series isotope data, long-lived radiogenic isotope data (Sr, Nd, Hf, Pb), and age dates (U-series, 40Ar/39Ar, 14C) and volatile abundances. This NSF funding will ensure that this unique collection of samples is properly curated in perpetuity for future generations of researchers in the National Rock and Ore Collection, Department of Mineral Sciences at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History. Archiving this sample suite will greatly benefit future researchers interested in the extreme chemical compositions of two of Africa’s most active and most dangerous volcanoes. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.