Mount Meru (Tanzania)

{{short description|Dormant stratovolcano in Arusha Region, Tanzania}}

{{for|the mountain in Hindu-Buddhist cosmology|Mount Meru}}

{{Infobox mountain

| photo = Mount meru with snow, Arusha Region, Tanzania.jpg

| photo_caption = Mount Meru with snow

| elevation_m = 4,562.13

| elevation_ref = [http://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/ultras/africa.html Africa Ultra-Prominences] Peaklist.org. Retrieved 2011-11-22.

| prominence_m = 3170

| prominence_ref =
Ranked 72nd

| map = Tanzania#Africa#World

| relief = 1

| map_caption = Location in Tanzania

| label_position = left

| listing = Ultra

| location = Arusha Region, Tanzania

| coordinates = {{coord|3|14|48|S|36|44|54|E|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| coordinates_ref =

| topo =

| type = Stratovolcano

| age =

| last_eruption = October to December 1910{{cite gvp|vnum=222160|name=Meru}}

| first_ascent = 1904 by Fritz Jäger[http://www.summitpost.org/show/mountain_link.pl/mountain_id/695 Mount Meru at SummitPost.org]

| easiest_route = Hike

}} __NOTOC__

Mount Meru is a dormant stratovolcano located {{convert|70|km|mi|0}} west of Kilimanjaro in southeast Arusha Region, Tanzania. At a height of {{convert|4,562.13|m|ft|0}},{{cite peakbagger|pid=11205|name=Mount Meru, Tanzania|access-date=2014-08-27}} it is visible from Mount Kilimanjaro on a clear day,{{Cite web |url=http://www.tommyimages.com/Stock_Photos/Africa/Tanzania/Kilimanjaro_Landscape/slides/Tanzania_1124-Mt_Meru.html |title=A view of Mount Meru from Mount Kilimanjaro |access-date=2008-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126045949/http://www.tommyimages.com/Stock_Photos/Africa/Tanzania/Kilimanjaro_Landscape/slides/Tanzania_1124-Mt_Meru.html |archive-date=2013-01-26 |url-status=dead }} and is the fifth-highest of the highest mountain peaks of 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, and the highest mountain in Arusha Region. The Momella route – which starts at Momella gate, on the eastern side of the mountain – is the most common route for climbers to reach the peak.{{cite book|title=Tanzania travel guide|date=June 2015|publisher=Lonely Planet|page=168|edition=6|isbn=978-1742207797}}

Mount Meru's lavas are alkaline in character and include nephelinite. WILKINSON, P, MITCHELL, J G, CATTERMOLE, P J and DOWNIE, C. 1986. Volcanic chronology of the Meru-Kilimanjaro region, Northern Tanzania. Journal of the Geological Society, London 143, 601–605. Much of the mountain's height was lost about 7,800 years ago due to a summit collapse.{{cite web|url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=222160|title=Glocal Volcanism Program - Meru|access-date=24 May 2019}} Mount Meru most recently had a minor eruption in 1910. The several small cones and craters seen in the vicinity probably reflect numerous episodes of volcanic activity. Mount Meru's caldera is {{convert|2.2|mi|km}} wide.{{cite web |url=http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/africa/meru.html |title=Meru, Tanzania|access-date=24 September 2018}}

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, as well as monkeys and leopards.{{Cite web |title=Arusha National Park |url=https://www.arushapark.com/ |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=Arusha National Park |language=en-US}}

The movie Hatari! was filmed at the foot of Mountain Meru.{{Citation |last=Hawks |first=Howard |title=Hatari! |date=1962-06-19 |type=Action, Adventure, Comedy |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056059/ |access-date=2024-12-09 |others=John Wayne, Elsa Martinelli, Hardy Krüger |publisher=Malabar}}