Skip to main content

Tanzania · Stratovolcano

Mount Meru

Meru

Type
Stratovolcano
Elevation
4550m
Last eruption
1910
Mount Meru
Photo: User:Toksave · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Tanzania
Region
Eastern Africa / Kenyan Rift Volcanic Province
Elevation
4550m
Coordinates
-3.244, 36.750
Last eruption
1910
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Phonolite
Geological summary

Meru has a conical profile when viewed from the west, but there is a 4-km-wide collapse crater to the E. The summit collapse is associated with the early Holocene Momella event that resulted in debris avalanche and lahar deposits as far as the W flank of Kilimanjaro. Cones and lava domes are located on all sides; a maar field is present on the lower N flank. Activity from the Ash Cone, inside the open crater, was reported around 1878 and in 1910 CE. A second vent between it and the headwall produced lava flows that cover much of the caldera floor. Kisaka et al. (2021) identified three late Pleistocene explosive eruptions during 31-38 ka BP (cal 14C).

Eruption history

4 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
5850 BCE~5591 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 41651~1910 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 25850 BCE4039 BCE1970 BCE159 BCE1651

Detailed timeline

  1. 1910VEI 2Observed
    1910-10-26 – 1910-12-22
    Ash Cone
  2. 1886VEI 0Observed
    1886-07-02 – end unknown
    Dome NW of Ash Cone
  3. 1878 (±1 yrs)VEI 2Observed
    1878-07-02 – end unknown
    Dome NW of Ash Cone
  4. 5850 BCEVEI 4Geological estimate
    5850 BCE – end unknown

Nearby volcanoes

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.