Mount Rungwe
Encyclopedia
Mount Rungwe is a potentially active volcano in the Mbeya
region of the southern highlands of Tanzania
. At an altitude of 2960 metres (9,711.3 ft), it is southern Tanzania's second highest peak. Rungwe stands at the junction of the eastern and western arms of the Great Rift Valley
of Africa. It dominates the mountainous country at the north-west end of the trough that contains Lake Nyasa. The southeastern slopes of these mountains receive up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) of rainfall a year, the highest rainfall in Tanzania. The slopes are covered with a belt of tropical montane forest. Above the treeline, at about 2600 metres (8,530.2 ft), there is a belt of heathland. Much of the mountain was listed as a Forest Reserve as early as 1949. The last volcanic eruption probably happened a few hundred years ago.
The genus of monkey, Rungwecebus that was named for the mountain in 2005 was initially thought to be a type of mangabey
from the genus Lophocebus, until more detailed genetic analysis showed its closer connection to baboon
s.
in Malawi
, ca. 90 km SE of Rungwe. The earthquake damaged school buildings, houses, police stations, health centers and boreholes. Since December 2009 at least 30 earthquakes have hit the northern district of Karonga, killing four people, injuring at least 180 and affecting 145,000 others. These are the largest earthquakes in the area since 1966 when a magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit. Earthquake swarms often precede volcanic eruptions, but there is no evidence to suggest that the Karonga earthquakes were at all associated with volcanic activity.
Mbeya
Mbeya is a city located in southwest Tanzania, Africa. Mbeya's urban population was 280,000 in 2005. Mbeya is the capital of the surrounding rural Mbeya region ....
region of the southern highlands of Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. At an altitude of 2960 metres (9,711.3 ft), it is southern Tanzania's second highest peak. Rungwe stands at the junction of the eastern and western arms of the Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
of Africa. It dominates the mountainous country at the north-west end of the trough that contains Lake Nyasa. The southeastern slopes of these mountains receive up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) of rainfall a year, the highest rainfall in Tanzania. The slopes are covered with a belt of tropical montane forest. Above the treeline, at about 2600 metres (8,530.2 ft), there is a belt of heathland. Much of the mountain was listed as a Forest Reserve as early as 1949. The last volcanic eruption probably happened a few hundred years ago.
The genus of monkey, Rungwecebus that was named for the mountain in 2005 was initially thought to be a type of mangabey
Mangabey
The term mangabey can refer to three different genera of Old World monkeys. Lophocebus and Cercocebus were once thought to be very closely related, so much so that all the species were in one genus...
from the genus Lophocebus, until more detailed genetic analysis showed its closer connection to baboon
Baboon
Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. There are five species, which are some of the largest non-hominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger...
s.
Possible renewed activity
On 20th December 2009 a magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit near the town of KarongaKaronga
Karonga is a township in the Karonga District in Northern Region of Malawi. Located on the western shore of Lake Nyasa, it was established as a slaving centre sometime before 1877. As of 2008 estimates, Karonga has a population of 42,555.-History:...
in Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, ca. 90 km SE of Rungwe. The earthquake damaged school buildings, houses, police stations, health centers and boreholes. Since December 2009 at least 30 earthquakes have hit the northern district of Karonga, killing four people, injuring at least 180 and affecting 145,000 others. These are the largest earthquakes in the area since 1966 when a magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit. Earthquake swarms often precede volcanic eruptions, but there is no evidence to suggest that the Karonga earthquakes were at all associated with volcanic activity.