Tanzania’s Ol Doinyo Lengai is an active volcano with unusual low-temperature lava
Ol Doinyo Lengai is the only known active volcano to erupt natrocarbonatite, which flows at roughly 500–590°C. Fresh dark lava reacts with moisture and can leave the mountainside appearing chalk-white.
By DoomRadar · Published on DoomRadar .
Why it matters
An active volcano presents a continuing hazard to nearby communities and visitors, although no eruption impact or evacuation is reported here.
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- Tanzania's Ol Doinyo Lengai is the only active volcano known to erupt natrocarbonatite, the coolest lava on Earth: it flows at roughly 500–590°C, against 1,100°C or more for Hawaiian basalt. Fresh flows look black or dark brown in daylight, then react with rain and atmospheric moisture until the mountainside turns chalk-white—as though someone spilled milk over the lava. ↗spacedaily.com · Recorded source date: Sep 11, 2026, 2:01 AM UTC
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