January 28, 1938 Eruption of Nyamulagira
Nyamulagira in the Democratic Republic of the Congo erupted on January 28, 1938 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 1. It caused a tsunami.
Where it erupted
Nyamulagira, Democratic Republic of the Congo, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- January 28, 1938
- Volcano
- Nyamulagira, shield volcano
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 1, small (eruption column 100 m to 1 km)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Location
- 1.408° S, 29.200° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
A lava lake in the summit crater, active since at least 1921, drained in 1938 during a major flank eruption. The lava flows from the eruption set hundreds of square kilometers of forest on fire destroying arable land. The flows were said to have reached Lake Kivu and the contrast between the lava and the water generated mini tsunamis.
Other significant eruptions of Nyamulagira
More
Every eruption in 1938The 1900sNyamulagiraEarthquakes near NyamulagiraThis day in weather history
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 1682.