Volcanic Destruction Not Always Caused By Lava

Posted by Maureen K. Fleury Oct 30, 2008

I always thought that lava spewing from volcanoes was the only way people were killed and property destroyed. I was very wrong.

After doing research on several of the world’s worst volcanoes, I changed my line of thinking. Many other events or by-products resulting from a volcanic eruption can be as fatal as lava.

Lahars are mudflows or landslides of volcanic ash mixed with water that flows down from a volcano. It has the consistency of concrete.

Pyroclastic flows contain hot ash, rock fragments and gases and can rush out of a volcano at speeds of over 100 mph. The gases, fragments and the heat can be fatal.

Volcanic landslides consist of ice, rocks or snow loosened by the vibration from the eruption.

I have written several articles on volcanoes and you can read more by clicking on the title of each volcano.

• Kilauea is the world’s most active volcano. It has been emitting lava for years and the area is monitored for air quality.
• Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted in 1816 and it had eliminated summer in many parts of the world because of generating an ash cloud.
• Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991. Pyroclastic flows spewed out of the mountain at 50 mph.
• Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980 and is well-remembered in North America. It generated the largest landslide ever produced from a volcano. Lahars ruined the river valleys in the area.
• Mount Pelee in the West Indies erupted in 1902. A pyroclastic flow of ash, rock and gas blasted down the mountain at 100 mph.
• Krakatoa in Indonesia erupted in 1883. Giant tsunamis and pyroclastic flows of toxic gases brought mass death and destruction to neighboring islands.

There are active volcanoes in the Andean Arc and Chaiten erupted in May 2008. There are other volcanoes in the arc that are steaming.

Will the next big explosion be here?