Nevado del Ruiz
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| Nevado del Ruiz
<tr><td style="border-top:1px solid #999966; text-align: center;" colspan=2>Image:Nevado del Ruiz 1985.jpg | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 5,389 metres (17,784 feet) |
| Location | Colombia
<tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #999966; border-right: 1px solid #999966; background: #e7dcc3; width: 85px">Range</td><td style="border-top: 1px solid #999966; width: 220px">Andes</td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #999966; border-right: 1px solid #999966; background: #e7dcc3; width: 85px">Coordinates</td><td style="border-top: 1px solid #999966; width: 220px"></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #999966; border-right: 1px solid #999966; background: #e7dcc3; width: 85px">Type</td><td style="border-top: 1px solid #999966; width: 220px">Stratovolcano</td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #999966; border-right: 1px solid #999966; background: #e7dcc3; width: 85px">Last eruption</td><td style="border-top: 1px solid #999966; width: 220px">1991</td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #999966; border-right: 1px solid #999966; background: #e7dcc3; width: 85px">First ascent</td><td style="border-top: 1px solid #999966; width: 220px">1936 by M. Rapp and party</td></tr> |
Nevado del Ruiz is a volcano in Colombia. It is the northernmost and highest Colombian volcano with historical activity.
On November 13, 1985, Nevado del Ruiz erupted. Pyroclastic flows melted ice and snow at the summit which formed lahars that rushed down several river valleys. The lahars were up to 50 metres thick and travelled more than 100 kilometres.<ref name="usgs">USGS Deadly Lahars from Nevado del Ruiz</ref>
Many houses and towns were devastated by the lahars. The town of Armero was completely covered by debris, killing approximately 21,000 people (out of 28,700). The eruption caused an estimated 23,000 deaths, 5,000 injuries, and destroyed more than 5,000 homes. This was the second-deadliest volcanic disaster in the 20th century (the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée was the worst).
Survivors who fled to other towns in the area were gradually housed in new government schemes, but problems for the displaced population occurred for many years after. The villagers were warned about the possibility of the disaster but because of the past false information about it happening they did not believe this warning.
Even in the mid 1990s the town was covered with up to 20 feet of ash and debris. Local villagers harvested stones for building work and often, still found human bones that they placed on the shrines that dot the area. A few small trees were trying to grow, protected from wandering animals by makeshift fences.
The eruption cost Colombia 7.7 billion dollars; about 20% of the country’s GNP for the year in question.
Nevado del Ruiz, has been called "the Sleeping Lion" by the local towns around it.
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