🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
The Virunga range includes several active volcanoes, including Mount Nyiragongo.
The Virunga Mountains, formed by volcanic activity, contain mineral-rich soils that support dense vegetation crucial to mountain gorilla survival. These fertile slopes generate bamboo shoots, herbaceous plants, and leafy growth capable of sustaining large-bodied primates. Without volcanic nutrient deposits, plant density at such elevations would be far lower. The very geological violence that shaped the landscape now underpins the gorillas’ food supply. Their existence depends on soil forged by eruptions thousands of years ago. Ecology and geology intertwine in a chain of cause and survival.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Volcanic soils are among the most fertile on Earth, supporting intensive agriculture worldwide. In the Virungas, they sustain wild herbivores instead. Entire gorilla troops forage daily on vegetation rooted in ancient magma. The connection between deep-earth processes and primate survival is direct and ongoing. A geological event can echo across millennia into modern conservation biology.
Active volcanoes in the region also pose risks, reminding researchers that the landscape remains dynamic. Lava flows, ash deposition, and seismic shifts could alter habitats abruptly. Mountain gorillas live on terrain shaped by fire beneath their feet. Their survival balances on forces both human and geological. Even the ground they stand on carries explosive history.
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