Alright! Bringing you the first unique place on our planet Earth. There is a volcano in the northern part of Tanzania that caught my eye. I have always been fascinated by volcanoes and love to research them. If you follow me on my other account @greddyforce, then you know I like to chase eruption events.
Actually, there are several volcanoes in this region of Tanzania, one of these being Kilimanjaro which probably is a familiar name to many. Kilimanjaro however is long dormant like most of the cones you can find in Tanzania( Some are considered still active but really are dormant ). One of the exceptions is the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano which is the only truly active volcano in the country.
It's not only active, but it's also one of a kind Volcano...
Photo licensed from Shutterstock
I have to mention that, what a great place this volcano decided to choose. In the middle of the empty plains.
Local Masaai people know this as a "mountain of god".
Ol Doinyo Lengai formed in the East African rift zone and has been active for the past 15,000 years. Today, the peak is reaching 2962 meters above sea level and has one main crater and multiple side craters. Countless eruptions have happened on this volcano and have been monitored since 1880. The latest eruption happened in 2017 but it's more of an ongoing period of eruptions not a single event.
What makes it unique?
This is the only active volcano in the world that produces much cooler magma than other volcanoes do. At the same time, the magma that gets produced there is the most liquid in the world. On average the lava is a couple of hundred degrees cooler than in other volcanoes, averaging around 580 degrees C. The volcano produces magma with natrocarbonatites and that makes it unusual. Without getting needlessly technical, it's a rare volcanic rock containing sodium, potassium, and calcium carbonate and at the same time being low on silica.
When the lava cools off eventually, it turns almost totally white due to chemical reactions. That's why you can see the white top of the mountain, it's not snow as you might have thought previously.
Photo from NASA
You can clearly see the white lines down the mountain. All of these are cooled-off lava flows.
It is possible to hike this volcano but needs some planning. It's remote and far away from the bigger settlements. I read from somewhere that it takes two days to reach it. Probably the best way would be to organize a walking safari and there are Masaai guides available that will take you up there. You might want to question, whether it's even safe to do. The short answer would be generally yes. Even if the volcano is active, doesn't mean it's erupting. Ol Doinyo Lengai is not an explosive volcano but a splattering cone with small and localized eruptions. There are photos of the eruption taken close up by people but there wasn't any I could license for this post. You can google and see if you wish.
If I ever visit Tanzania, it would definitely be one of the must-visit places for me. What about you? Would you visit Ol Doinyo Lengai and take a trip up to the volcano?
