HE Nevado del Ruiz It is a volcano that has left its mark on the history of the country. 25,000 people died in the 1985 Armero disaster, and as a result of this event Colombian Geological Service (SGC) monitors frequently for any changes.
Therefore, any abnormality can be quickly identified, such as those that have occurred in seismic activity since March 24, 2023, the day when the highest number of daily earthquakes recorded since 1985, when seismic activity began to be monitored, was March 29.
Given this change, SGC changed its activity level yellow to orange alarm.
But this is not new. HE Nevado del Ruiz volcano has been erupting for nearly 10 yearshowever, all of its eruptions during this period were small and its impact was limited to ash falling in different places depending on the direction of the wind, as explained by the SGC.
Turning orange means it’s more likely to erupt in days or weeks than it has in the last decade.
As the entity explains, what is happening now is most likely an igneous intrusion, i.e. a process in which magma moves from a deeper source to the surface. During this period, earthquakes occur.
The most likely option is for magma to run through one of the main fault systems in Colombia: La Palestina, where the volcanic chain of the Los Nevados National Natural Park is located.
La Palestina is one of the magma outlets for the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, so it is believed that some of the magma was pushed into the crater from the south of the volcano.
This added to the persistent thermal anomalies in the volcano’s crater detected via satellites, leading them to consider: There is a greater chance of an explosion in terms of days or weeks.
However, this does not necessarily mean that this will be the case, as it is possible for the volcano to return to lower levels of activity.
“Just as it is not scientifically possible to know exactly when a volcano will erupt, it is also not possible to know exactly how it will erupt,” the Colombian Geological Service said in a press release.
What is known is that Nevado del Ruiz it is an explosive type volcano, This means that their eruption means that rock is fractured and ejected along with gases and liquids at high speeds and temperatures, As it was more than 30 years ago.
You may be interested in: (Nevado del Ruiz: these municipalities could be evacuated before an eruption)
The volcanic phenomena that occurred in this eruption were mostly lahars or mudflows (avalanches) as well as ash fall and pyroclastic flows: a mixture of extremely hot gases and solid particles commonly referred to as ‘fiery clouds’.
Now this could be different in an ultimate explosion. For example, municipalities in the impact area are not producing pyroclastic flows, which are the most lethal phenomenon of a volcanic eruption and are confined to the areas closest to the crater. They can be affected by falling ash or a slightly thicker material, which cannot be compared to what happened in the tragedy.
But if the eruption had been larger, the main problems would have been the fall of ash and the formation of mudflows that would affect the rivers emerging from the volcano.
Many municipalities will be affected as most of these flow into the Magdalena River, but some mudflows may also reach tributaries of the Cauca River, such as the Chinchina River.
The eruption will depend on whether the magma reaches certain levels of superficiality and whether thermodynamic and physicochemical conditions are met. Otherwise, magma can stay there for a long time, just like in a lava dome. the bottom of the crater.
DIGITAL SCOPE WRITING
TIME
Source: Exame
