Monitoring at Ol Doinyo Lengai

Despite the fascination that Ol Doinyo Lengai garners from locals and the volcanology community alike, monitoring of this strange volcano remains scarce.  Most reports of volcanic activity are merely eyewitness reports from locals, tourists, or Tanzania National Park Service Officials[1].  No “systematic observations of active flows” began until 1960 because of the unpredictability and remoteness of Ol Doinyo Lengai[2].  The Geological Survey of Tanzania, founded in 2005, is currently compiling geological data about Tanzania, but the Survey remains underfunded and the information incomplete.  The Geological Survey of Tanzania currently operates five seismometers, one in Kibaya in the Arusha region, approximately 60 kilometers from Ol Doinyo Lengai[3].  Approximately 85% of Tanzania has been geologically mapped, helping geologists gain a greater understanding of the geological setting of the Great Rift Valley[4].  Despite these recent advancements, the monitoring of Ol Doinyo Lengai is still dramatically underequipped and underfunded.

Several volcanologists and scholars maintain comprehensive sites monitoring activity on Ol Doinyo Lengai.  Compiling data from expeditions to the volcano and information from locals, Frederick Belton and Celia Nyamweru maintain accurate websites pertaining to eruptive activity at the volcano.  The Smithsonian Institute's Global Volcanism Program also follows activity at Ol Doinyo Lengai, publishing monthly reports and an eruptive history of the volcano.  For access to these sites, please go to the "Links" section of this site.