Pyroclastic Flow ×

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Encyclopedic Entry pyroclastic flow block-and-ash flow, nuée ardente, pumice flow

For the complete encyclopedic entry with media resources, visit: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/pyroclastic-flow/

Pyroclastic flows are volcanic phenomena. A pyroclastic flow is a high-density mixture of hot, fragmented solids and expanding gases.

These heavier-than-air flows race down the sides of a volcano much like an avalanche. Reaching speeds greater than 100 kilometers per hour (60 miles per hour) and temperatures between 200° and 700° Celsius (392°and 1292° Fahrenheit), pyroclastic flows are considered the most deadly of all volcano hazards.

The world pyroclast is derived from the Greek pyr, meaning “fire”, and klastos, meaning “broken in pieces.” A pyroclastic flow’s “broken pieces” consist of volcanic glass, crystals, and rocks such as pumice or scoria. These solids have been heated and fragmented by an explosive eruption. Heavier fragments roll downward along the ground, while smaller fragments float in a stream of hot gases.

Through the process of convection, the hot gases of a pyroclastic flow expand and rise above the mass of denser and cooler materials on the ground. This rapidly expanding mixture of gas and suspended particles creates dense, clouds of volcanic ash that move fluidly over the landscape.

Pyroclastic Surges

All pyroclastic flows are incredibly fast-moving and lethally hot. Those that contain more gases and less solid materials are known as pyroclastic surges.

A cold surge is one with a slightly lower temperature, usually below 100° Celsius (212° Fahrenheit). Cold surges often form where a volcano’s vent is beneath a lake or the ocean.

A hot surge is one with a slightly higher temperature, usually above 100° Celsius (212° Fahrenheit).

How Flows and Surges Form

Pyroclastic flows and pyroclastic surges are composed of different materials, and move in different ways depending on how they are formed.

Some pyroclastic forms develop after an eruption collapses a volcano’s hardened lava dome, whose dense rock then avalanches down the volcano. Within seconds, a faster-moving cloud of ash expands above and in front of the tumbling blocks of rock. These flows are known as “block-and-ash” flows because of their dual composition.

The French geologist Alfred Lacroix originally created the term nuée ardente (“glowing cloud”) for these pyroclastic flows after the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée caused its lava dome to collapse and sweep down into the city of St. Pierre, Martinique, killing almost all of its 30,000 residents.

Other pyroclastic flows result from the collapse of an eruption column, the vertical mass of debris and gas that jets above an 1 of 5 explosive volcano vent. Heavy debris falls rapidly from the sky and flows down the flanks of the volcano, mostly as pumice. In fact, this type of flow is sometimes known as a “pumice flow.” The higher the volcanic debris is thrust into the air, the further it will fall by force of gravity, gaining momentum along the way. For this reason, pumice flows are able to cover larger areas faster than block-and-ash flows.

Like block-and-ash flows, pumice flows are made up of a main body of moving rocks that hugs the ground and an ash cloud that expands above it. Pumice flows, however, also include a ground surge of burning ash that advances ahead of the moving rocks. These jets of hot ash heat the air at the front of the flow. This rapid heating of air causes the flow to increase in size and speed, hurling fragmented materials forward at an even faster rate than before.

Pyroclastic flows can even move over water. The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, Indonesia, is considered the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history. Its eruption column shot 40 kilometers (25 miles) into the atmosphere. This huge column collapsed into numerous pumice flows that reached more than 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour). These fast, hot flows traveled 40 kilometers (25 miles) across the surface of the Flores Sea, causing the ocean to boil and create steam explosions.

Pyroclastic Flow Hazards

Pyroclastic flows are so fast and so hot that they can knock down, shatter, bury, or burn anything in their path. Even small flows can destroy buildings, flatten forests, and scorch farmland. Pyroclastic flows leave behind layers of debris anywhere from less than a meter to hundreds of meters thick. The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines, filled the Marella River valley with a pyroclastic flow 200 meters (656 feet) deep, more than the height of the Washington Monument.

When pyroclastic flows mix with water, they create dangerous liquid landslides called lahars. The 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia caused pyroclastic flows to mix with melted snow and flow down into the surrounding river valleys. These lahars gained momentum and size as they traveled the river beds, ultimately destroying more than 5,000 homes and killing more than 23,000 people.

A pyroclastic flow’s deadly mixture of hot ash and toxic gases is able to kill animals and people. The famous 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the nearby cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, Italy, in pyroclastic fallout, killing about 13,000 people.

While many scientists once thought that the residents of Pompeii and Herculaneum suffocated from the pyroclastic fallout of Mount Vesuvius’ eruption, new studies suggest that they actually died from extreme heat. Volcanologist Giuseppe Mastrolorenzo and the Italian National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology recently discovered that the pyroclastic flow that reached Pompeii produced temperatures of up to 300° Celsius (570° Fahrenheit). These extreme temperatures are able to kill people in a fraction of a second, effectively forcing them to spasm in contorted postures, like those found amongst the plaster casts of Vesuvius’ victims.

VOCABULARY

Term Part of Speech Definition

advance verb to move forward or progress.

atmosphere noun layers of gases surrounding a planet or other celestial body.

avalanche noun large mass of snow and other material suddenly and quickly tumbling down a mountain.

boil verb to change from a liquid to a gaseous state.

cast noun impression formed when a liquid substance is poured into a form or mold, and then hardens into that shape.

city noun large settlement with a high population density.

collapse verb to fall apart completely.

2 of 5 compose verb to be made of. composition noun arrangement of the parts of a work of art in relation to each other and to the whole. contort verb to distort or bend out of shape. convection noun transfer of heat by the movement of the heated parts of a liquid or gas. crystal noun type of mineral that is clear and, when viewed under a microscope, has a repeating pattern of atoms and molecules. debris noun remains of something broken or destroyed; waste, or garbage. dense adjective having parts or molecules that are packed closely together. density noun number of things of one kind in a given area. derive verb to come from a specific source or origin. destroy verb to ruin or make useless. dual adjective having to do with two of something. eruption noun release of material from an opening in the Earth's crust. eruption noun cylinder-shaped structure of volcanic ash and gas emitted by an explosive volcanic column eruption. expand verb to grow or get larger. explosion noun violent outburst; rejection, usually of gases or fuel extreme adjective unusual or extraordinary. farmland noun area used for agriculture. flank noun side of something. fluid noun material that is able to flow and change shape. forest noun ecosystem filled with trees and underbrush. form verb to make or take shape. fraction noun portion or section. fragment noun piece or part. gas noun state of matter with no fixed shape that will fill any container uniformly. Gas molecules are in constant, random motion. geologist noun person who studies the physical formations of the Earth. geophysics noun study of the Earth's physical properties and processes. gravity noun physical force by which objects attract, or pull toward, each other. lahar noun flow of mud and other wet material from a volcano. lake noun body of water surrounded by land. landscape noun the geographic features of a region. landslide noun the fall of rocks, soil, and other materials from a mountain, hill, or slope. lava dome noun feature formed as lava hardens over a volcanic vent.

3 of 5 lethal adjective deadly. liquid noun state of matter with no fixed shape and molecules that remain loosely bound with each other. momentum noun speed, direction, or velocity at which something moves. ocean noun large body of salt water that covers most of the Earth. particle noun small piece of material. phenomena plural noun (singular: phenomenon) any observable occurrence or feature. plaster noun paste-like material made of crushed stone (usually lime, gypsum, and sand), water, and fiber. pumice noun type of igneous rock with many pores. pyroclastic noun particles that have been ejected from volcanic vents and have traveled through the fallout atmosphere before falling to earth or into water. pyroclastic noun current of volcanic ash, lava, and gas that flows from a volcano. flow pyroclastic noun fluid mass of gas and rock ejected during some explosive volcanic eruptions. surge resident noun person who lives in a specific place. river bed noun material at the bottom of a river. river valley noun depression in the earth caused by a river eroding the surrounding soil. rock noun natural substance composed of solid mineral matter. scorch verb to destroy by burning. scoria noun type of rough, crusty volcanic rock. shatter verb to suddenly break into pieces. snow noun precipitation made of ice crystals. spasm verb to undergo a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles. steam noun water vapor. stream noun body of flowing fluid. suffocate verb to be unable to breathe. suspend verb to keep from falling, sinking, or collecting. temperature noun degree of hotness or coldness measured by a thermometer with a numerical scale. thrust noun force exerted by a propeller, gas, or other mechanism that propels a vehicle. toxic adjective poisonous. vent noun crack in the Earth's crust that spews hot gases and mineral-rich water. vertical noun up-down direction, or at a right angle to Earth and the horizon. volcanic ash noun fragments of lava less than 2 millimeters across.

4 of 5 volcanic noun hard, brittle substance produced by lava cooling very quickly. glass

volcano noun an opening in the Earth's crust, through which lava, ash, and gases erupt, and also the cone built by eruptions.

volcano noun specific danger posed by an active volcano: gas, lahar, landslide, lava flow, hazard pyroclastic flow, or tephra.

volcanologist noun scientist who studies volcanoes.

volcanology noun the study of volcanoes. Also called vulcanology.

For Further Exploration

Articles & Profiles National Geographic Kids: Ten Freaky Forces of Nature USGS: Pyroclastic Flows and their Effects San Diego State University: How Volcanoes Work—Pyroclastic Flows Video Geoff Mackley: Pyroclastic flows on Mt Merapi Java Indonesia

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