Mount Longonot

The trachytic Longonot stratovolcano SE of Lake Naivasha in the Gregory Rift valley contains a 8 x 12 km caldera. Formation of the caldera accompanied large explosive eruptions about 21,000 years ago. A large central cone that was constructed within the caldera, which forms the summit, is truncated by a circular, 1.8-km-wide crater. Post-caldera lavas are found on the caldera floor and the volcano's flanks, marking a late stage of effusive eruptions. A well-preserved satellitic cone is located on the NE flank. Masai tradition records a lava flow on the N flank during the 19th century. Similarly youthful-looking lava flows occur on the SW flank.