Page 84 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

Cape Verde Islands 61

Kilimanjaro is an inactive stratovolcano in round trip of park gate – Longonot Peak – park
north-eastern Tanzania and Mt Kenya in Kenya is gate takes around five hours. The gate is around
the same, created approximately three million 2150m and the peak at 2780m, but following the
years after the opening of the East African rift. It jagged rim involves substantially more than the
was covered by an ice cap for thousands of years, 630m vertical difference.
and this has resulted in very eroded slopes and Menengai is a 2278m high shield volcano
numerous valleys radiating from the centre. There located in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya. Mt Meru
are currently 11 small glaciers and the mountain is is an active stratovolcano located 70km west of Mt
an important source of water for much of Kenya. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Much of its bulk was lost
Today there are many walking routes, climbs and about 8000 years ago due to an eastward volcanic
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huts on the mountain, and an area of 715km blast, similar to the 1980 eruption of Mt St Helens
around the centre of the mountain is designated a in the US. Mt Meru most recently had a minor
national park and listed as a UNESCO world eruption about a century ago. The several small
heritage site. The park receives over 15,000 visitors cones and craters seen in the vicinity probably
per year. reflect numerous episodes of volcanic activity. Mt
Mt Longonot is a 2776m high dormant Meru is the topographic centerpiece of Arusha
stratovolcano located south-east of Lake Naivasha National Park.
in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya. It is thought to The Crater Highlands are a region in Tanzania,
have last erupted in the 1860s. Mt Longonot is and are so named for the many craters present. As
protected by the Kenya Wildlife Service as part of common in spreading zones, magma in rising to
Mt Longonot National Park. A trail runs from the fill the gaps reaches the surface and builds cones.
park entrance up to the crater rim, and continues Craters form if a volcano explodes or collapses
in a loop encircling the crater. The whole tour is and further spreading can fracture the volcanoes as
only about 8–9km long but very steep, so that the well. Ol Doinyo Lengai (Figure CS3.1) is part of

Figure CS3.1 Ol Doinyo Lengai: Tourist attraction not without risk

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