Why is there a volcano in Cameroon?
Samina Miller
Dear Samina,
Volcanoes in Cameroon are part of the Cameroon line, a chain of volcanoes
extending from Annobon Island in the Atlantic Ocean northeastward through
Cameroon. The oldest rocks have been dated at 70 million years old.
Nine volcanoes along the line are active. A fissure eruption occurred at
Mt. Cameroon in 1982.
Volcanism along the Cameroon line is related to rifting - where a
continent breaks into two pieces. About 110 million years ago a giant
rift broke apart what became Africa and South America and the South
Atlantic Ocean began to form. A smaller rift formed within the African
continent. This older rift, called the Benue Trough, is north of and
parallel to the Cameroon line. About 80 million years ago, during a
reorganization of plate boundaries, the African plate rotated
counter-clockwise. Then a new rift formed that failed to split Africa
but apparently did form conduits that allowed magma to ultimately reach
the surface and form the volcanoes of the Cameroon line.
Steve Mattox and Chuck Wood, University of North Dakota
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