Lake Ngozi

Lake Ngozi

mountain, volcanic crater lake, lake

Mountain range	Poroto Mountains
Basin country	Tanzania
Country	Tanzania
Coordinate location	9°2′0″S 33°32′0″E, 9°0′29″S 33°33′11″E

Lake Ngozi (anaa Lake Ngosi) be de second largest crater lake insyd Africa. E fi be found near Tukuyu, a small town insyd de highland Rungwe District, Mbeya Region, of southern Tanzania insyd East Africa. E be part of de Poroto Mountains den de northern rim of de caldera be de highest point insyd de range. De caldera dem mostly compose from trachytic den phonolitic lavas. Ngozi be a Holocene caldera wey generate de Kitulo pumice 12,000 years ago during a Plinian eruption, most likely insyd de same eruption wey generate de caldera. Oda eruption deposits be de Ngozi Tuff (less dan thousand years ago) den de Ituwa Surge base surge deposits of uncertain age, buh intermediary to de Kitulo pumice den Ngozi Tuff. De youngest activity generate a pyroclastic flow wey flow southwards for 10 km around 1450 CE. Sam pyroclastic cones dey surround de volcano. De walls of de caldera be forested, plus de exception of segments dem scour by landslides den high cliffs wey inhibit access to de water. De inner caldera be forested plus Maesa lanceolata, Albizia gummifera den Hagenia abyssinica, far fewer tree species dan neighbouring mountains consistent plus de recent geological origin of de volcano. De caldera einself no be subjected to hydrothermal activity, buh large subaqueous CO² emissions den local legends of de killing power of de lake indicate a danger of limnic eruptions. De lake floor according to echosounding be flat wey e get no terraces.

De lake no dey undergo large scale fluctuations insyd lake level, plus only minor differences between de dry den rainy seasons. Air temperatures above de lake be around 18 °C plus only minor seasonal variations.

Sporadically, de forests be occupied by Safwa hunters. Reports insyd 2013 state say insyd de following year a geothermal project go commence insyd de vicinity of de volcano halfway between Ngozi den de town of Mbeya.

Local folklore

Der be a number of local myths den folk tales wich dey surround de volcanic lake, den de surrounding area.

De Nyakyusa People (ethnic group insyd dis area of Southern Tanzania) talk say na dem chase a shaman dem call Lwembe from ein birth village (Ukwama insyd de Makete area) to de waters of Lake Ngozi after de people cam be weary of de deceptive nature of ein magic.

Once Lwembe cam be an inhabitant of de waters edge, de local tribe dema cattle begin to disappear. Na dem say dat villagers start dey go missing too if dem venture too close to de waters. Nyakyusa elders dispel de area by rolling a huge boulder wich dem place insyd de heart of a fire for three days into de water, while casting dema own spells. Since dat time, de evils spell for de Lake no return.

De most commonly heard myth den folk tale be dat of a group of Colonial German soldiers wey dem dispose of treasure into de waters of de lake. Dem put a spell on de Lake to protect de gold den hamper any oda persons dema efforts to reclaim am. Sam variations of de myth suggest say dis be caused an emission of poisonous gasses (wich dem now know fi be linked to a Limnic eruption), while odas claim say der be a twelve headed snake wey dey protect de treasure den dey cam out to de surface on sunny days. Whether der ever be a treasure remain a mystery.