What are the words that come to one’s mind when someone talks about volcanoes? I guess the words we relate to volcanoes are red-hot, boiling, bright, and glowing. What if I tell you that there exists a volcano which is neither extremely hot nor bright and glowing. Ol Doinyo Lengai is an active volcano located at the southern end of Lake Natron in East Africa.
It sits on the tectonically active African Rift system. Ol Doinyo Lengai translates to ‘Bed of the God of Fire'. The Masai people, native to this region also call it ‘Mountain of God’ as they believe that the African Gog Engai, escaped to these mountains after being struck by an arrow from a hunter. The volcano rises to the elevation of 9,442 feet and its lava resembles that of washing soda.
This unique volcano vomits carbon based lava called natrocarbonatite lava. Black in color, this lava is relatively cool and flows with the consistency of motor oil. There is evidence to prove that volcanoes on Venus too are known to produce this natrocarbonatite lava. Since most volcanoes produce and emit silicate based lava, their melting point is over 900°C, but Ol Doniyo’s lava has relatively lesser silica content and has an abundance of carbonate minerals that reduces its melting point to 540°C. There is a report of a Masai porter falling into the crater. The porter was severely burned but he managed to climb out of it alive.
The lack of silica makes this lava more vicious. While normal lava flows with average speed of 30 km/h and can be easily outpaced by a human being, the carbonate lava flows with a much greater speed. This volcano is capable of erupting with intensity. When the volcano erupts, the colder lava cools quickly and reacts with humidity present in the air turning the lava white and then further disintegrating into fine powder.
The northern crater of this volcano is more active. The last eruption began in 2017 and according to a March 2024 report, it is still bubbling. The lava is incredibly rich in rare earth elements, which are essential for production of electronic equipment. The unusual flow of this lava, settles across the landscapes and appears almost like cracks and rivers.