Earth and Environment Atlas

How The Planet Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Geological Formation

Mount Elgon

Volcanic Formations

Mount Elgon straddles the border between Kenya and Uganda, reaching an elevation of about 4,321 meters at its highest point, Wagagai Peak. It is an extinct shield volcano, among the oldest volcanic landforms in East Africa at roughly 24 million years old, and by surface area it is the largest volcanic mass in the region, its long, gentle slopes reflecting a volcanic history far older than the sharper stratovolcanoes of the nearby Rift Valley. Erosion has carved a large caldera into its summit, and its lower slopes are cut by caves, some of which contain mineral salt deposits historically excavated by local elephant populations that dig into the rock to reach them. This entity documents Mount Elgon specifically as a geological formation, an ancient, eroded extinct shield volcano straddling the Kenya-Uganda border.

Facts
Classification
Protected Status
National Park or Reserve 1
Activity
Extinct 1
Connections

Associated With

Miocene, Eras
Source Mount Elgon (Wikipedia)

Caused By

Orogeny, Processes

Wikidata P31 formation-type mapped to formative process Orogeny via reviewed judgment map (earth atlas); source citation is this entity's own cited Wikidata item.

Source Wikidata: Mount Elgon
Volcanism, Processes
Source Mount Elgon (Wikipedia)

In Discipline

Geomorphology, Disciplines

Wikidata P31 formation-type mapped to discipline Geomorphology via reviewed judgment map (earth atlas); source citation is this entity's own cited Wikidata item.

Source Wikidata: Mount Elgon
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Kenya

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Wikidata: Mount Elgon
Uganda

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Wikidata: Mount Elgon
Sources
1. Mount Elgon (Wikipedia)
  • Lead paragraph
    Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu, east of Mbale and west of Kitale.
  • Lead
    The area around the mountain is protected by two Mount Elgon National Parks, one on each side of the international border.
  • Caused By: Volcanism, Lead, process Volcanism
    Although there is no verifiable evidence of its earliest volcanic activity, geologists estimate that Mount Elgon is at least 24 million years old, making it the oldest known extinct volcano in East Africa.
  • Associated With: Miocene, Infobox: age
    Miocene origin
View the Source
Wikidata: Mount Elgon
Wikidata Q732838, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.