Mount Meru (Tanzania)

For the mountain in Buddhist cosmology, see Mount Meru.
Mount Meru

Mount Meru, 2012
Highest point
Elevation 4,562.13 m (14,967.6 ft) [1]
Prominence 3,170 m (10,400 ft) [1]
Ranked 72nd
Isolation 70 kilometres (43 mi)
Listing Ultra
Coordinates 3°14′48″S 36°44′54″E / 3.24667°S 36.74833°E / -3.24667; 36.74833Coordinates: 3°14′48″S 36°44′54″E / 3.24667°S 36.74833°E / -3.24667; 36.74833 [1]
Geography
Mount Meru

Location in Tanzania

Location Arusha Region, Tanzania
Geology
Mountain type Stratovolcano
Last eruption October to December 1910[2]
Climbing
First ascent 1904 by Fritz Jäger[3]
Easiest route Hike

Mount Meru is a dormant stratovolcano located 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of Mount Kilimanjaro in the nation of Tanzania. At a height of 4,562.13 metres (14,968 ft),[1][4] it is visible from Mt Kilimanjaro on a clear day,[5] and is the fifth highest mountain in Africa, dependent on definition.

Mount Meru is located just north of the city of Arusha, in the Arusha Region of Tanzania. It is the second-highest mountain in Tanzania, after Mount Kilimanjaro. The Momella route - which starts at Momella gate, on the eastern side of the mountain - is used to climb Mount Meru.[6]

Much of its bulk was lost about 8,000 years ago due to an eastward volcanic blast, similar to the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington. Mount Meru most recently had a minor eruption in 1910.[2] The several small cones and craters seen in the vicinity probably reflect numerous episodes of volcanic activity.

Mount Meru is the topographic centerpiece of Arusha National Park. Its fertile slopes rise above the surrounding savanna and support a forest that hosts diverse wildlife, including nearly 400 species of birds, and also monkeys and leopards.

Resting place of Noah's Ark

Some have suggested that Mount Meru was the place where Noah's Ark came to rest as the flood receded. According to this view, the old Arabic text of Genesis 8:4 identifies the resting place as "har-meni", which "refers to the mountain of Meni or Menes, another name for Mount Meru". The similarity between Har-meni and Armenia, however, led to the Christian tradition of identifying Mount Ararat, in Armenia, as the site. [7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Africa Ultra-Prominences Peaklist.org. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
  2. 1 2 "Meru". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
  3. ↑ Mount Meru at SummitPost.org
  4. ↑ "Mount Meru, Tanzania". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  5. ↑ A view of Mount Meru from Mount Kilimanjaro
  6. ↑ Tanzania travel guide (6 ed.). Lonely Planet. June 2015. p. 168. ISBN 978-1742207797.
  7. ↑ Linsley, Alice. "What Language Did Abraham Speak?". Biblical Anthropology. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
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