#oldonyolengai

[travelhiper]

Mount Ol doinyo Lengai

OL DOINYO LENGAI “Oldoinyo Lengai” means “The Mountain of God” in the Maasai language. The summit of this strato-volcano is 2962 metres above sea level, and affords direct views into the caldera of Tanzania’s only officially-certified active volcano, and the world’s only carbonatite volcano; records of eruptions have been maintained since 1883, the largest of which deposited ash 100 kilometres…

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[alohaexpeditions]

Ol Donyo Lengai Tanzania- Mountain of God

Ol Donyo Lengai Tanzania- Mountain of God Don't forget to book a trip to Ol donyo Lengai With Aloha Expeditions East Africa's only active volcano, Ol Doinyo Lengai, is situated south of Lake Natron. In the Maasai the name means the sacred Mountain of God. Mount Lengai is 878m high and it has explosive eruptions every twenty to forty years. The last bigger eruption was in 1966, with some smaller ones in 1983, 1933 and 2007. Ol Doinyo Lengai is one of the few volcanoes without Sodium carbonate and potassium and it is the only volcano in the world that erupts natrocarbonatite lava. This lava has almost no silicon and its temperatures are not as high as those of other lavas, approximately 500 – 600°C. The natrocarbonatite lava looks like fluid black oil and it turns white when in contact with objects full of moisture. This whitening happens almost immediately when raining.The mountain has two summit craters. The southern one is inactive and filled with volcanic ash. The active one is the northern summit crater, with a depth of over 200 meters. Mount Lengai can be climbed up to the peak and sometimes also all the way down to the crater, almost to the brim of the molten lava flows. Climbs are mostly organized after midnight to reach the summit in the sunrise.Although the rout is hard because of the heat ( 40°C) and hikers are advised to be extremely cautious, the views from Mount Lengai are astonishing. In the north Lake Natron is visible, in the west the Great Rift Valley, and the eastern part offers majestic views of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Geology

Ol Doinyo Lengai is unique among active volcanoes in that it produces natrocarbonatite lava, a unique occurrence of volcanic carbonatite. A few older extinct carbonatite volcanoes are located nearby, including Homa Mountain. Lava Whereas most lavas are rich in silicate minerals, the lava of Ol Doinyo Lengai is a carbonatite. It is rich in the rare sodium and potassium carbonates, nyerereite and gregoryite. Due to this unusual composition, the lava erupts at relatively low temperatures of approximately 510 °C (950 °F). This temperature is so low that the molten lava appears black in sunlight, rather than having the red glow common to most lavas. It is also much more fluid than silicate lavas, often less viscous than water. The sodium and potassium carbonate minerals of the lavas erupted at Ol Doinyo Lengai are unstable at the Earth's surface and susceptible to rapid weathering, quickly turning from black to grey in colour. The resulting volcanic landscape is different from any other in the world.

Ecology

The carbonatite ash spread over the surrounding grasslands leads to a uniquely succulent, enriched pasture. This makes the area a vital stage on the annual wildebeest migration, where it becomes the nursery for the birth of several thousand calves.

Eruptive activity

1883-1915 The record of eruptions on the mountain dates to 1883. Flows were recorded between 1904 and 1910 and between 1913 and 1915. 1917 A major eruption in June 1917 deposited volcanic ash up to 48 kilometres (30 mi) away. 1926 An eruption took place for several months in 1926. 1940 An eruption between July and December 1940 deposited ash as far as Loliondo, 100 kilometres (62 mi) away. 1950s Several minor eruptions of lava were observed in 1954, 1955, and 1958. 1960s Minor eruptions of lava were observed in the early 1960s. A major eruption occurred on 14 August 1966. Geologists J. B. Dawson and G. C. Clark visited the crater a week later and reported seeing "a thick column of black ash" that rose for approximately 1,000 metres (3,000 ft) above the volcano and drifted away northwards towards Lake Natron. When they climbed the cone-shaped vent, they reported seeing a continuous discharge of gas and whitish-grey ash and dust from the centre of the pit. 2007 Volcanic activity in the mountain caused daily earth tremors in Kenya and Tanzania from 12 July 2007 until 18 July 2007 at 8.30pm in Nairobi. The strongest tremor measured 6.0 on the Richter scale. Geologists suspected that the sudden increase of tremors was indicative of the movement of magma through the Ol Doinyo Lengai. The volcano erupted on 4 September 2007, sending a plume of ash and steam at least 18 kilometres (11 mi) downwind and covering the north and west flanks in fresh lava flows. 2008 The 2007 eruption continued intermittently into 2008. At the end of February it was reported to be gathering strength, with a major outburst taking place on 5 March. Periods of inactivity were followed by eruptions on 8 and 17 April. Eruptive activity continued until late August 2008. A visit to the summit in September 2008 discovered that lava emission had resumed from two vents in the floor of the new crater. Visits to the crater in March/April 2009 showed that this activity appeared to have ceased. 2010 In October 2010, two separate lava flows and a small lava lake were photographed in an overflight. 2013 The volcano resumed natrocarbonatite lava flow which started to fill the large crater from the 2007-2008 eruption. As of July 2013, there is a large active hornito on the western edge of the crater floor. During June, residents near the volcano reported several earthquakes. The new crater is inaccessible and climbers have only occasionally glimpsed into it.   Read the full article

[bakaryjr]

Ol Doinyo Lengai "The mountain of God" is one of the unique phenomena that nature has put forth. Located over an active continental Rift zone of East Africa, the volcano and it's cold black lava that flows as freely as water, has captured the attention of many geologists and archaeologists in the past. Despite being quite active with over ten eruptions in the last hundred years, the volcano is quite harmless. In fact that a man has even fallen into the lava and survived. #facts #mountainlion #wonderlust #oldonyolengai #abakombetours #travelnut #natgeo100contest #worldtour (at Tanzania) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvI980fAlak/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=cgue2ho2k0ho

[safaritrackersadventure]

About Exploring The other side of Country #lakeNatron #oldonyolengai #engareserowaterfall #engereserofootprints (at Tanzania Safari Trackers Adventures & Tours)