Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Slow-moving lava flows and the more deadly pyroclastic flows are not the only dangers.
The clouds of dust and water vapour that can be built around an erupting volcano can pro-
duce heavy rain and this, perhaps coupled with melting snow on the volcano, can lead to
catastrophic mud flows or lahars, like the one that swept down the flanks of Nevado del
Ruiz in Colombia in 1985 killing about 22,000 people. The threat can even be invisible.
