Chapter 8 continued:

VULCANICITY IN EAST AFRICA

This is a process through which molten rocks
(magma) are either intruded within the earth’s crust or
extruded onto the earth’s surface.
Vulcanicity is supported by the process of faulting
which forms cracks in the earth’s crust through which
magma escapes.
When magma is intruded within the earth’s crust,
it cools down and solidifies to form intrusive volcanic
features like batholiths, sills, dykes, lapolith and
laccolith.
When magma is extruded onto the earth’s surface,
it changes to lava leading to the formation of lava
plateaus, calderas, craters, hot springs, steam
fumaroles and geysers.
Volcanicity refers to a process by which molten
material (magma) is ejected (thrown on to) to the
surface of the earth.

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Magma being pushed out of a volcano.

Activity.
1. Carry out a library or internet search about the
features of a volcano.
2. Copy Figure 8.9 (b) into your notebooks and
using the information you have got from the
search, name the features labelled 1-6.
3. What is the difference between vulcanicity and
volcanicity?

When volcanic eruptions occur, they do not lead to

the formation of volcanic mountains only but
also create other landforms.

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Volcanic eruptions also lead to the formation of lakes.
These include lava dammed lakes, crater (mountain
and or explosion crater) lakes, caldera lakes

Types of Lava:
There are three types namely;

(i) Acidic lava.

This flows for a short distance from the
point of eruption. The lava is highly
viscous (thick and sticky) and solidifies
even at hot temperatures. It is immobile.
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 (ii) Intermediate lava.
This flows at an intermediate distance
from the point of eruption (vent).

(iii) Basic lava.

This flows for a long distance from the
point of eruption. It has low silica content
and highly mobile.

Extrusive features:
These are formed as a result of lava solidifying on
the earth’s surface. The features formed include;

(a) Volcanoes: They are formed as a result of

subsequent eruptions through which magma is
ejected onto the earth’s surface. These volcanoes are
mainly made up of alternating layers of ash and
lava/cinder hence they are also called composite
cones or ash and cinder cones e.g. mountain
Kilimanjaro, Muhavura and Mt. Kenya.

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Formation of composite volcanoes
These are formed as a result of volcanic eruptions
leading to the extrusion of ash and cinder/lava at
different intervals. With time, ash and Cinder cones

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develop parasitic cones e.g. Kibo and Mawenzi peaks on
Mt. Kilimanjaro.
N.B. Volcanoes are grouped according to their
present states.

There are three types of volcanoes i.e.

(i) Active volcanoes.
These are volcanoes which have erupted in
recent years and still show signs
of eruption e.g. Muhabura/Muhavura(Mufumb
iro ranges), Oldoinyo Lengai,Mt. Longonot.

(ii) Dormant volcanoes.

These have never erupted but still show
some signs of eruption e.g. Mt Kilimanjaro, Mt
Kenya and Mt. Elgon.

(iii) Extinct volcanoes.

They are volcanoes that have ever erupted
and show no signs of further eruptions and the
original shape of the mountain has been

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 destroyed/modified by denudation processes
e.g. Mt. Moroto.

(b) Crater:
This is a shallow and funnel shaped depression
found on top of a volcanic mountain after a violent
eruption. It’s formed as a result of magma cooling
in the vent without sinking back to the magma
chamber.
When a crater is filled up with water, it
becomes a crater lake (Explosion Crater Lake) e.g.
Lake Katwe, Lake Kyamwiiga, L.Nkugute
(Rutooto), L. Munyanyange, L.Nyamunuka, L. N
yungu and L. Nyamusingiri.
Many explosion craters are found in Mt.
Rwenzori National park acting as tourist
attractions.

(c) Caldera: This is a large and rounded shallow

depression on top of a volcanic mountain. It’s
formed when violent explosions blow off a
mountain top with a crater leaving behind a large
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 and rounded shallow depression. Examples in East
Africa include; Akaigodi(Kabarole), Ngorongoro,
Oldoinyo Lengai, Napak and Longonot.

Illustration of a caldera

(d) Volcanic plug: It’s also known as a volcanic

neck. It’s formed when magma solidifies and cools
in the vent. It’s then exposed as a result of erosion
leaving behind a hard and resistant rock e.g.
Tororo rock and Mwadui plug.
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(e) Lava plateau: It’s an extensive upland formed as a
result of ejection of lava through many vents

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e.g. Kericho plateau, Yatta plateau, Nyika plateau,
Aberdare ranges, Kaputiel plains and Kisoro plains.

(f) Geysers and hot springs:

These are formed through ejection of hot water and
steam from the underground water aquifers. Examples
in East Africa include; Sempaya in Bundibugyo and
Kitagata in Sheema, Maji-Moto in Tanzania.

(g) Lava dammed Lakes (Lava dammed Lake

basins):
These are formed when a mass of flowing lava
blocks a river channel to form a Lake e.g. Lake
Bunyonyi, Lake Mutanda, L. Chahafi, Lake Murehe,
L. Kayumba & L. Saka (Kabarole).

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Intrusive volcanic features
(i) Batholiths: This is a very large mass of magma
which often forms the root of a volcanic mountain. It is
made up of granite and it is formed very deep in the
earth’s crust but can be exposed on the surface by the
denudation forces like weathering, mass wasting and
erosion to form an Inselberg. Examples include; Singo
in Mubende and the central parts of Tanzania.

(ii) Sill: It is formed when a sheet of magma is

intruded along the bedding planes (horizontally) in
the earth’s crust. It forms a ridge-like escarpment when
exposed by erosion. Sills also lead to formation of water
falls and rapids when they are crossed by a river e.g.
waterfalls can be seen along Pakwach-Arua road.

(iii) Dyke: It’s formed when a mass of magma cuts

across the bedding planes and it forms a wall-like
feature. The magma may either be steeply inclined or
vertically inclined. Examples of such can be witnessed

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in East Africa e.g. in the Rungwa complex in Kisumu
and Thika falls in Kenya.

(iv) Laccolith: This is a dome shaped feature formed

when magma bulges near the surface. The magma
forces the upper layer of the earth’s crust to bulge e.g. at
Voi in Kenya.

(v) Lapolith: This is a saucer shaped feature that is

formed when the overlying rocks lead to the formation
of depressions on the intruded magma.
Lapolith

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Economic importance of Volcanicity
 Sills can lead to formation of waterfalls e.g.
Karuma falls which are potential sites for generation of
hydro-electric power.
 Volcanic Mountains help in the formation of relief
rainfall on the wind ward side which supports
agriculture.
 Hot springs provide medicinal water e.g. Kitagata
hot spring water contains sulphur which is used to treat
skin diseases.
 Volcanicity leads to the formation of lakes which
provide water for domestic and industrial use e.g. Lake
Bunyonyi.
 Crater lakes are a source of minerals which can be
sold for money e.g. salt obtained from Lake Katwe
hence improving people’s S.O.L.

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 Volcanicity favours mining because it exposes
valuable minerals near the surface of the earth e.g.
Diamond mining in Mwadui plug in Tanzania.
 Volcanic features attract tourists who bring in
foreign exchange used for national
development/infrastructural development.
 Volcanic lava leads to production of fertile soil
hence favouring agriculture/crop cultivation e.g. coffee
growing along the slopes of Mt. Elgon.
 It’s a basis for geographical studies hence
improving on research and study purposes.

Problems associated with volcanicity.

 Violent volcanic eruptions lead to destruction of
property and human life.
 Volcanic mountains have caused rain shadows on
the lee ward side of the mountain hence causing dry
conditions that discourage agricultural practices.
 Salty volcanic lakes e.g. Lake Katwe can’t support
fishing and provision of water for human and domestic
purposes.
 Mountains are covered with thick forests which hide
dangerous animals e.g. Gorillas, lions and Monkeys
which make human settlement very difficult.

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 Mountains are used as hideouts for criminals and
rebels who destabilize peace and sanity in the
surrounding communities hence straining the defence
budgets.
 Volcanic rocks that are not fully weathered to
provide infertile soils that hinder crop cultivation.
 Landslides are common along Mountain slopes
which are destructive to human life.
 Mountain tops are not suitable for human
settlement due to extremely low temperatures.
 Mountains accelerate soil erosion which leads to
loss of soil fertility.
 Dense population near mountains leads to land
fragmentation on the lower slopes leading to land
conflicts.

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A sketch map of East Africa showing its major volcanic
mountains.

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Activity:

1. Carry out a library or internet search on

landforms resulting from volcanic eruptions.
2. Make a list of the major landforms and draw
diagrams to explain how each landform is
formed.
3. Find out the types of lakes formed due to
volcanic eruption; and draw diagrams to explain
how each type is formed.
4. Suggest how the volcanic landforms and
drainage features might be useful to people.
5. Suggest the disadvantages associated with
volcanic landforms and
lakes.

WARPING
In Chapter Seven, you learnt that much of East
Africa is a plateau. What do you understand by a

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plateau? The East African plateau has been affected
by many processes which have created depressions
and hills. Some of the large depressions have been
filled with water to form lakes.

Activity:
In groups,

1. Choose two people to hold a sheet of newspaper or

a piece of cloth by its corners.
2. Let them slowly lift the extreme ends of the
paper or cloth as the rest of you observe and note
down what happens.
3. Write down what you have observed and draw a
diagram to illustrate your observation.
4.Share what you have written and the diagram
you have drawn with other groups through a
whole class discussion.

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 What you have observed is called sagging. In the
same way, when certain parts of the East African
plateau were acted upon by forces which originated
in the interior several million years ago and
pushed the eastern and western sides of the plateau
upwards, the central part sagged in. That process is
called down warping.

It led to the formation of very large depressions.

These depressions are now occupied by lakes.

Crustal warping occurs as a result of the influence

of lateral compressional forces which are normally
applied on the earth’s crust.
These forces make the rocks to react by gently
warping to form a new landscape and in East Africa,
areas of warping display land that is uplifted and at
the same time land that is gently depressed in the
centre.
The uplifting and gentle warping of the basement
complex has formed broad plateaus and basins.
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Therefore warping involves the disfigurement of the
earth’s original surface as a result of un- even up
warping and down ward movements. These movements
are normally gentle and extend over a large area for
instance the Buganda area, Kisumu and Mwanza.
Down warping, Uganda’s plateau is responsible for
the formation of shallow and irregular shaped lakes like
Victoria and Kyoga. These lakes are generally rounded
depressions many of which were formed in between
uplands.
There was reversal of drainage of rivers like Kafu
into L. Kyoga and Mara, Nyando, Ngaila, Grumenti,
Nzoia, Kagera and Katonga into L. Victoria.
These rivers filled up the down warped depressions
with water with the aid of climate (rainfall).
Diagrammatic illustration
(To be drawn by the teacher in class. So leave some
space).

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 Activity

In pairs,

1. Open the atlas and look at the map of East

Africa showing physical features.
2. Suggest lakes in East Africa which were
formed as a result of down warping. Give
reasons to support your suggestion.
3. Draw a sketch map of East Africa showing the
down warped lakes and other drainage features
connected to them.

Activity of Integration

Imagine strong earth movements have occurred in

Luzira village, in central Uganda. Using
diagrams to illustrate your ideas, explain any two
effects these earth movements might have on the

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landscape in the area. Suggest how those effects on
landscape might affect the way people in Luzira
live; and the problems which might arise from the
change in the landscape.

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