Nevado del Ruiz

The Nevado del Ruíz is a volcano of the Andes cordillera, the second higher point of the Colombia and one of the more high summits of the South America. It culminates with 5.390 meters.

The oldest data on the activity of this volcano bring back for us in 1595 and 1845, dates where major destruction is ascribable for him. In 1845, the volcanic eruption carries in its purées of lava the small villages along the river Lagunillas which kill on their passage all the population living in the top of the valley of this river.

The volcano was climbed for the first time in 1936 by M.Rap.

Eruption of 1985

November 13rd, 1985, after at least six weeks of activity recorded by volcanologists and the governmental high authorities of the area, Nevado del Ruiz knows a violent eruption. Towards 3 hour of the afternoon, its top, which as its name indicates it is covered with snow and glacier, sees its snow-covered summit melting. Into a few minutes, under the pressure of the volcanic lava and the effect of heat, snow is transformed into liquid water which mélée of muds and ashes (named Lahar, Javanese for Lave) will descend on the sides of the close valleys. One hour after the eruption, the town of Armero to 50 km from there, which had not been evacuated, is submerged by a mud river and remains and disappears. This catastrophe one of the eruptions more the meutrières of the history with nearly 24.000 died and 10.000 is left without shelters.

This drama remained famous in the whole world for the face of a 12 year old young girl, Omayra Sanchez and her anguish, filmed on line by television.

References

Hans-Ulrich Schmincke, Volcanism , Springer, the United States, 2004, ISBN 3540436502.
Catastrophic Landslides , Geological Society off America, the United States, 2002, ISBN 0813741157.

External bonds

Sequence filmed of Maurice Kraft and Katia Kraft on the eruption of 1985.

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