The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-15
AFRIcA's BUSY VOLCANOES.
Only Within the Last Twenty Years
We're They Known to Exist.

lew facts have at last reached the
outer world concerning the great vol
canic eruption that began on May l:
! last IN the lake region of central At
The eruption was very severe for
three days. The wide. lava-covered plain
IN which the active volcanoes are found
seemed TO be covered with flame that
poured forth from many assures in the
rock. What seemed 10 be column OF
! lire. was maintained 10 a height OF
several hundred feet for several hours
near these volcanoes on the south is
Lake kivu. in one Of whose northern
bays occurred a terrific subaoueoIl4 prun.
tion. The water for a mile arolud was
turned yellow by the outpOUring Vapor
heavily charged with sulphur Many
thousands OF fish were killed and their
| bodies flOated on the surface
This region. north of Lakes Kivu and
tankanyika, is the greatest center OF
Volcanic activity in Africa, and one of
Ine larsest in the world: and it was
never heard of till ten years ago The
discovery OF these volcanoes by Count
Won Gotten did considerable damage "a
the theory that volcanoes are developed
only in proximity to the sea
These volcanoes are about 200 miles
from the Indian ocean, almost in the
heart of the continent The other great
center OF present volcanic phenohnena
IN Africa is also hundreds of miles in
land. near Lake Rudolf
STUDENTS of volcanoes now think il is
better to say that they are found both
on the margins of the sea and in the
land surface caused by violent move
ments of the rocks. which have produced
lines OF weakness through which vol
canic energy is able TO find vent
Ihere are eight volcanoes within sight
Of one another just little north of Lake
kivu- They are in three groups The
tive western groups are composed each
OF three extinct volcanoes. while the
q q kofs4
mountains that are at times exceedingly
active
In addition to the lively ebuIIitions from
these craters. the region is richer than
most other volcanic districts in mineral
and not springs and other manifestations
of volcanism.
The two active cones are among the
very largest in the old world and are
the sea. The larger of the two, Kirungu-
cha-gungo, is a single huge cone, rising
TO circular and unbroken rim. II $50
This rim encIoses a vast crater over a
mile in diameter and has always been
full of steam and smoke when visitors
have peered over the edge so that they
have been unable to learn the nature
Of the crater floor or of its interior
walls.
1t is inferred that the crater is of
enormous depth. for stones rolled over
the edge of the chasm have merely
bounded from rock to rock, their con-
cussions becomin. fainter and fainter.
with nothing to indicate that they
finally found a resting place.
Kirungu-ndogo. the other active cone.
is 1T least il.0O0 feet in height II is
likely at any time 20 be active. and re-
cent lava streams around its summit
of steam.
1t is a wonderful region. Besides the
great volcanoes, active or extinct, are
large numbers Of isolated lifeless era
eff act il Il 80 ~
are furthest from the smoke mountains
are terraced to their tops and covered
with fields Of beans and other native
crops.
Twenty years ago no one knew that
there was q single active volcano In
Africa. Since then number of very
lively volcanoes have been discovered IN
addition to number of the largest
mountains on the continent, now lifeless.
but which were built by mighty out
pourings of lava.