Nevado Del Ruiz Case Study
The Volcanic Eruption of Nevado Del Ruiz
Nevado Del Ruiz located in Central Colombia, is a broad, glacier covered volcano. A relatively small eruption caused a devastating mud flow that killed almost 25,000 people in the town of Armero, marking one of the worst volcanic disasters in history. Sadly, this tragedy could have been easily avoided if clear warnings by volcanologists had been taken seriously. On November 13, 1985, Nevado Del Ruiz erupted and created a lahar. Surprisingly, not all the Armero residents died right away, there were some survivors stuck in the mud flow. The Colombian Red Cross, the Civil Defense and the Colombian military were able to rescue some, but not all of them due, to short staff,because they did not have the equipment to release the survivors from the sludge and debris.
A lahar is a volcanic mudflow created due to melting snow or ice from an eruption. Lahars can become deadly because of the mudflow the melting snow they create. Nevado Del Ruiz lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is a region that …show more content…
The on-going activity was just enough to keep people nervous, but not enough to convince authorities that the volcano provided a real threat to the communities surrounding the volcano.” Nevado Del Ruiz is an active stratovolcano with a history of generating deadly volcanic mudflows with small volume eruptions. In 1595, a lahar swept down the valleys of the River Guali and the River Lagunillas, killing 636 people. In 1845, an immense lahar flooded the upper valley of the River Lagunillas, killing over 1000 people. It continued for 70 kilometers downstream before spreading across a plain in the lower valley floor. Over the years, Armero grew into a vibrant town with over 27,000 residents. On November 13, 1985, history repeated itself for the third
Nevado Del Ruiz located in Central Colombia, is a broad, glacier covered volcano. A relatively small eruption caused a devastating mud flow that killed almost 25,000 people in the town of Armero, marking one of the worst volcanic disasters in history. Sadly, this tragedy could have been easily avoided if clear warnings by volcanologists had been taken seriously. On November 13, 1985, Nevado Del Ruiz erupted and created a lahar. Surprisingly, not all the Armero residents died right away, there were some survivors stuck in the mud flow. The Colombian Red Cross, the Civil Defense and the Colombian military were able to rescue some, but not all of them due, to short staff,because they did not have the equipment to release the survivors from the sludge and debris.
A lahar is a volcanic mudflow created due to melting snow or ice from an eruption. Lahars can become deadly because of the mudflow the melting snow they create. Nevado Del Ruiz lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is a region that …show more content…
The on-going activity was just enough to keep people nervous, but not enough to convince authorities that the volcano provided a real threat to the communities surrounding the volcano.” Nevado Del Ruiz is an active stratovolcano with a history of generating deadly volcanic mudflows with small volume eruptions. In 1595, a lahar swept down the valleys of the River Guali and the River Lagunillas, killing 636 people. In 1845, an immense lahar flooded the upper valley of the River Lagunillas, killing over 1000 people. It continued for 70 kilometers downstream before spreading across a plain in the lower valley floor. Over the years, Armero grew into a vibrant town with over 27,000 residents. On November 13, 1985, history repeated itself for the third