The strongest eruption of Mount of the Gods, a volcano in Tanzania, is inevitable. And it could wipe out key places in human history from the face of the Earth, scientists warn.
Also known as Ol Doinyo Lengai, the 2331 meter high volcano is 110 km from the site where the footprints left by our ancestors 3.6 million years ago were found. And not far from the volcano, there is a place where scientists have discovered 400 human footprints 19 thousand years old.
Researchers studying ground vibrations in the vicinity of the volcano warn that it could explode at any second, destroying precious places forever.
The Ol-Doinyo-Lengai volcano, which the Maasai call the Mountain of the Gods, rises above the southern shore of Lake Natron in the village of Engare-Sero. Researchers placed five sensors around the volcano in 2016 to monitor its activity and the risk of an eruption. In January 2017, scientists recorded tremors on the slopes of the Mount of the Gods, indicating that parts of the volcano are rising. Other signals, including an increase in gas emissions and an earthquake, have led scientists to conclude that an eruption is imminent.
It is not known exactly if the eruption will destroy nearby archaeological sites. But if a violent volcanic explosion coincides with the rainy season, flows of volcanic matter can destroy ancient footprints.
A similar avalanche of volcanic mud has preserved a collection of 400 footprints at Engare-Sero, just 14 km from the volcano. About 19 thousand years ago, a wave of volcanic material created huge littoral zones near Lake Natron. People walked through these silted areas a few hours after the mudflow, and a second wave of matter filled their tracks, saving them forever.