Colombia - Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupts

[Bob]

Airport Closure due to ashfall

Nevado del Ruiz volcano has forced the closure of a regional airport in western Colombia.

Colombia's Geological Service says bursts of ash rose nearly a mile and a half (2,300 meters) above the peak of the volcano at about 5:50 a.m. (6:50 a.m. EDT; 1050 GMT).

A somewhat smaller eruption three hours earlier prompted closure of the La Nubia airport in Manizales, capital of Caldas state.

The 17,457-foot (5,321 meter) volcano has been under close observation since a 1985 eruption killed some 25,000 people and demolished the town of Armero.

Seismologists say earth tremors indicate movement of magma within the volcano's system.

Links -
http://abcnews.go.com/International/...osure-39289530
https://www.thinglink.com/scene/634395348520927233

This volcano has a history of tragedy:

(an injured woman following the eruption of the Nevado Del Ruiz Volcano, 13 November 1985.)

The region should be watched, from Chile Northward into Mexico..

[Bob]

Some pictures from a few days ago, starting 17 May, 2016 thru the 20th May, 2016

[KiwiElf]

3 x separate significant eruptions in the last 24-hours (around the world!!)

[Bob]

This volcano struck a little over 30 years ago.

It was called: "The Armero tragedy"

This event was one of the major consequences of the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz stratovolcano in Tolima, Colombia, on November 13, 1985

BBC wrote this (about the significance of November 13th:

1985: Volcano kills thousands in Colombia

About 20,000 people are feared dead after a volcanic eruption in northern Colombia.

Four towns in the Andes region are reported to have been buried when ash spewed out of the volcano, Nevado del Ruiz, causing a mudslide.

The worst-affected was Armero, the province of Tolima's second largest city, about 50 miles from the Colombian capital, Bogota.

Armero, which lay in a valley below the 16,200-foot high (4,937m) volcano, was virtually destroyed - buried by mud and rubble swept down on to it.

The fatal eruption happened during the night when most of the town's 27,000 residents were in bed.

Nevado del Ruiz, known locally as "the Sleeping Lion", had not erupted for nearly 150 years.

Following the 1985 eruption, Nevado del Ruiz remained active for several more years, culminating in eruptions in 1991 and 1992.

It was not the first time the volcano had caused deaths.

In 1595, 636 people were killed after a mud-flow swept down the mountainside. Another eruption in 1845 led to 1,000 deaths.

Around 50 years later settlers began to build the city of Armero directly on top of the hardened mudflow deposits.

After the 1985 disaster the government declared the site of the buried city to be "holy ground".

When this volcano activates, take notice.

The town of Armero lay in the so-called "Ring of Fire".

MUDFLOWS - the lahars, burying the surroundings.

The volcano peak being snowcovered, at greater than 16,000 feet presents a potential for melting, with ashfall, plus water, presents a hazard.

http://www.nap.edu/read/1784/chapter/8

The disaster occurred in the night, hampering initial rescue and assessment activities.

The mudflows affected many square kilometers, so survivors were scattered over a wide area and mobility in the valley was hampered by the impassable mud deposits. Aircraft, primarily helicopters, thus became the main method of search and rescue.

With Armero mostly destroyed (and possibly still in danger) and victims scattered widely, it was difficult to establish centralized emergency medical and care locations in the early hours.

Recent recorded eruptive history:
2012, 1994?, 1985-91, 1984-85, 1916, 1845, 1833?, 1831, 1829, 1828, 1826?, 1805, 1623, 1595, 1570, 1541

2015-2016 - ongoing smoke ash.
http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/nevado_del_ruiz.html

Webcams page (not official) http://webcams.volcanodiscovery.com/Ruiz (colombian geo website has live official cams)


Background

The Colombian volcano Nevado del Ruiz is an active stratovolcano with a history of generating deadly volcanic mudflows (lahars) from relatively 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. The young village of Armero was built directly on top of the 1845 mudflow deposit.

Over the ensuing years, Armero grew into a vibrant town with over 27,000 residents. On November 13, 1985, history repeated itself for the third time in 400 years, with another eruption and another deadly lahar racing down the River Lagunillas. This time, over 23,000 people were killed, including most of the residents of Armero.

With proper planning, this tragedy could have been averted.

(Link)