GeoHazards: Volcanic Eruptions
A volcanic eruption can present a wide variety of hazardous phenomena that may occur within a short time frame, travel with great speed, cover a very large area, and extending large distances from the volcano itself. Some of the more important of these events include: ash fallout, pyroclastic flows and surges, and debris flows and debris avalanches. All of these features cover a number of orders of magnitude in scale. Volcanoes can present a threat of annihilation to local communities. Center members and associates with expertise in volcanology and engineering work to develop rigorous computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of hazardous volcanic flows such as atmospheric plumes, pyroclastic flows, debris flows and massive debris avalanches.
 |
 |
| Eruption of Tungurahua Volcano, Ecuador in 2006. This eruption produced pyroclastic flows that killed 5 people. Photo by Patrick Taschler. | All that remained of two villages after the catastrophic debris flows of 1998 at Casita Volcano, Nicaragua. |