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Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu
Satellite image of Lake Kivu courtesy of NASA.
Lake Kivu is located in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu is located in Rwanda
Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu is located in Africa
Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu
Coordinates2°0′S 29°0′E / 2.000°S 29.000°E / -2.000; 29.000
TypeRift Valley lakes, meromictic, limnically active lake
Primary outflowsRuzizi River
Catchment area2,700 km2 (1,000 sq mi)
Basin countriesRwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Max. length89 km (55 mi)[1]
Max. width48 km (30 mi)[1]
Surface area2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi)[1]
Average depth240 m (787 ft)
Max. depth480 m (1,575 ft)
Water volume648 km3 (155 cu mi)
Surface elevation1,460 m (4,790 ft)
IslandsIdjwi
SettlementsGoma, Congo
Bukavu, Congo
Kibuye, Rwanda
Cyangugu, Rwanda

Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes.[2] It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and is in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift.[3] Lake Kivu empties into the Ruzizi River, which flows southwards into Lake Tanganyika.[4] In 1894, German officer and colonial ruler Gustav Adolf von Götzen was the first European to discover the lake.

Kivu lake shoreline at Gisenyi, Rwanda

In the past, Lake Kivu drained toward the north, contributing to the White Nile. About 13,000 to 9,000 years ago, volcanic activity blocked Lake Kivu's outlet to the watershed of the Nile.[5] The volcanism produced mountains, including the Virungas, which rose between Lake Kivu and Lake Edward, to the north.[6] Water from Lake Kivu was then forced south down the Ruzizi. This, in turn, raised the level of Lake Tanganyika, which overflowed down the Lukuga River.[5]

Lake Kivu is one of three lakes in the world, along with Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun, that undergo limnic eruptions (where overturn of deepwater stratified layers releases dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2)). The lake's bottom also contains methane (CH4), meaning if a limnic eruption occurs, the lives of the two million people living nearby would be in danger.

  1. ^ a b c Lagassé, Paul, ed. (2000). The Columbia Encyclopedia (6 ed.). Columbia University Press. p. 1539. ISBN 978-0787650759.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference readersnatural was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Wong, H.-K.; Herzen, R. P. (1974-06-01). "A Geophysical Study of Lake Kivu, East Africa". Geophysical Journal International. 37 (3): 371–389. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246x.1974.tb04091.x. ISSN 0956-540X.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Danley, Patrick D.; Husemann, Martin; Ding, Baoqing; Dipietro, Lyndsay M.; Beverly, Emily J.; Peppe, Daniel J.; et al. (2012). "The Impact of the Geologic History and Paleoclimate on the Diversification of East African Cichlids". International Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 2012: 1–20. doi:10.1155/2012/574851. PMC 3408716. PMID 22888465.
  6. ^ Clark, J. D. (1969). Kalambo Falls Prehistoric Site, Volume 1. London: Cambridge University Press. p. 34. Retrieved 16 January 2013.

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