Tanzania's 'Mountain of God' Volcano erupts
Pastor Dale Morgan
Tanzania's 'Mountain of God' Volcano erupts*
NAIROBI, July 20 (AFP) Jul 20, 2007
Tanzania's only active volcano, Oldonyo Lengai, has erupted, spewing
smoke and ash into the country's northern skies and causing a brief
panic among residents, a Kenyan official said Friday.
The 3,200-meter-high (10,500 feet) volcano, whose name means "Mountain
of God" in Swahili, started oozing lava.
"Mount Oldonyo Lengai ... the source of the tremors we have been
experiencing, is currently spewing smoke and some lava," Kenyan
government spokesman Alfred Mutua said in a statement.
"However, the eruption is a very mild one. Scientists believe this has
reduced the pressure that was there, hence the decrease of the tremors."
A series of tremors, originating in nearby Lake Natron, have rocked much
of northeastern Tanzania over the past week and were felt in the Kenyan
capital Nairobi, which lies about 250 kilometres (156 miles) away.
Oldonyo Lengai, which stands about 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of
the Kilimanjaro, erupted in 1966 and 1988. In 1983 and 2006, it spewed
smoke forcing thousands of residents to flee.