Contribution of GIS to two-dimensional numerical modeling of mudflow hazards originating from the Mikeno volcano in the Virunga volcanic province, Democratic Republic of Congo

Mikeno is a volcano in the Virunga volcanic province located in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This volcano is dormant, but is prone to mudflows that originate at its summit and flow down its slopes, including inhabited areas. These mudflows have caused disasters in the inhabited areas around Mikeno. In order to simulate possible future mudflows, this study uses laharz.py modeling with SRTM as the main input data. A simulation of three volumes of mobilizable material (10 ⁴ , 10 ⁵ , and 10 ⁶ m ³ ) reveals three possible mudflow scenarios. Sludge can originate from eight points and flow through drains. From these drains, the mudflows can spread and even reach inhabited areas. The results are also presented in terms of the length and width of the mud deposits, which are low, moderate, and high for the three volumes, respectively. The three scenarios are combined to produce a final map of the risks of mud escape. There are three major areas with different levels of vulnerability: the highly vulnerable area, with an average length and width of 2.4 km and 28.8 m respectively; the moderately vulnerable area, which is circumscribed around the first area, extends 80.6 m beyond the first area in terms of width and has an average length of 6.4 km; the third area, with low vulnerability, has an average length of 8.7 km and is circumscribed beyond the first two areas over 77.6 m.