Technical note about Niyragongo Volcano in Goma

On Saturday, May 22nd 2021, the Nyiragongo volcano in Goma, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, erupted.

There is more than 35 dead,  20,000 people were displaced, more than 200 children were lost during the migration, drinking water is not available and electricity is largely cut off.

Recently, the Observatoire Volcanologique de Goma  (OVG) issued a technical note with three scenarios, here we explain what they are:

1. Lava flows from the southern flank of the volcano, affecting parts of the cities of Goma (DRC) and Gisenyi (Rwanda).
   Impact: the destruction of infrastructures and possible deaths.
2. Lava flows from the southern flank reaching Lake Kivu but is unable to alter the deep lake system and no limnic eruption (gas-rich lake eruption).
   Impact: the destruction of infrastructure and possible fatalities.
3. Lava flows from the southern flank and that the intrusion of magma leads to a large magnitude 6.5+ earthquake and that this distorts the Lake Kivu system, forming a limnic eruption and releasing CO2 and CH4 gases in large quantities.
   Affected: the destruction of infrastructure and thousands of deaths of living beings by asphyxiation.