During the last weeks, the Nevado del Ruiz has been in constant threat due to a possible eruption, the magma of the volcano continues to present activity inside the crater and the orange alert continues in the surrounding municipalities.
(It may also be of interest to you: Nevado del Ruiz Volcano: Is the possibility of an eruption strengthening?).
He Colombian Geological Service (SGC) has been monitoring Nevado del Ruiz for a possible eruption. Given this, John Makario Londonodirector of Geothreats, revealed that the volcano is presenting several anomalies that could trigger the expulsion of lava, or the cooling of the magma.
“That heat that comes from the magma begins to interact and the steam columns become much larger due to the amount of sulfur dioxide it has,” Londoño said.

Photo in real time from the cameras that the SGC has installed at various points around the Nevado del Ruiz volcano
Colombian Geological Service
Possible phenomena if the volcano erupts
Through its official Twitter account, the Colombian Geological Service indicated that it cannot be “predict exactly when or what an eventual eruption would be like of considerable magnitude from the Nevado del Ruiz volcano”.
They did point out that they have already collected enough information to “understand what are the volcanic phenomena that could happen if this happens.”

The first option that is handled is the pyroclastic flows or ‘burning clouds’; a phenomenon caused by the mixture of gases with solid materials such as ash and rocks of different sizes that can move from the volcano at high temperatures and high speeds.
Another possibility is the release of ash and lapini in small fragments of volcanic material that would be transported by the wind and could affect nearby areas depending on the amount that falls.
In addition, they explained that the volcano could expel flows of volcanic mud composed of rock, sand, water, clay, and debris; a phenomenon known as an avalanche that would be very destructive due to the density and speed it can gain.
(Read here: Nevado del Ruiz: earthquakes are concentrated in the crater, what does this mean?).
Finally, they commented that ‘ballistic projectiles’ or large rocks could be ejected, which could be very destructive depending on their temperature and speed.
📢We cannot accurately predict when or what an eventual eruption of a considerable magnitude from the Nevado del Ruiz volcano would be like, but we do have enough information to understand what volcanic phenomena could occur in the event this occurs🧵👇🏽
– Colombian Geological Service (@sgcol) April 14, 2023
HAROLD YEPES
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