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No more tremors as Tanzania volcano erupts (2) |
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09:46, July 22, 2007 |
The highest magnitude of earthquake recorded so far was 6.0 on the Richter scale registered on Tuesday, which was felt throughout northern Tanzania and parts of neighboring Kenya.
The tremors reportedly forced thousands of Maasai herdsmen living around the area to vacate their homes in the wake of a trail of the eruptions that left two children injured and a school damaged in Tanzania.
Kenya''s geological experts said the lava emanating from the mountain was not very hot, adding that the gases are not poisonous enough to affect residents.
"It is a sigh of relief and we can now thank God that all is well," Dr. Eliud Mathu, head of Geology Department at the University of Nairobi said.
Mathu said the lava, which recorded heat of 510 degrees centigrade is "relatively cool" compared to the hottest, which is normally 1,100 degrees centigrade.
Tanzanian villagers are reported to have heard roaring on the rugged geographic feature they call"Mountain of God" before the volcano started discharging ash and lava.
Tanzanian authorities have since warned tourists to keep off the area for security reasons. Mathu concurred, saying the area should be avoided until after two weeks when the lava will have cooled.
The mountain is the world''s only active volcano that emits natrocarbonatite lava, which Mathu said has got no capability to flow further than about two kilometers from the mountain.
This kind of lava, which almost contains no silicon, is also much cooler in temperature compared to other emissions, he said.
[1] [2] [3]
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