Glacial deposits have been found interbedded with lavas. During the period of maximum glaciation, a continuous ice cap 400 km 2 covered the summits of Kibo and Mawenzi. Click here to see limits of glaciation. The mountain creates its own climate as it channels winds up the slopes where the moisture precipitates as rain and snow. Stratiform clouds are usually found at a 3000m to 3500 m limit as can be see on this shuttle photograph .
Glaciation is more extensive on the south and west.
Strong diurnal circulation in East African mountains leads to maximum cloud cover in the afternoon when the sun is to the west, protecting the west side from the sun's rays. North slopes are more exposed to the sun. By the turn of the century, the glaciers inside and outside the caldera were separated. An animation of the disintegation of the Kibo glaciers, created from Hastenrath 1997, can be viewed here . A 1980 Return Beam Vidicon Image from Landsat 3 shows the extent of the glaciers then.