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Report on Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia) — 5 September-11 September 2012


Nevado del Ruiz

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 5 September-11 September 2012
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2012. Report on Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 5 September-11 September 2012. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (5 September-11 September 2012)

Nevado del Ruiz

Colombia

4.892°N, 75.324°W; summit elev. 5279 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


According to INGEOMINAS, on 5 September the Observatorio Vulcanológico and Sismológico de Manizales reported that seismicity at Nevado del Ruiz significantly decreased, both in the number and magnitude of the earthquakes. Field measurements and analysis of satellite imagery continued to show a significant amount of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere. A steam-and-gas plume rose 400 m and drifted W. Later that day, INGEOMINAS decreased the Alert Level to III (Yellow; "changes in the behavior of volcanic activity").

Geological Summary. Nevado del Ruiz is a broad, glacier-covered volcano in central Colombia that covers more than 200 km2. Three major edifices, composed of andesitic and dacitic lavas and andesitic pyroclastics, have been constructed since the beginning of the Pleistocene. The modern cone consists of a broad cluster of lava domes built within the caldera of an older edifice. The 1-km-wide, 240-m-deep Arenas crater occupies the summit. The prominent La Olleta pyroclastic cone located on the SW flank may also have been active in historical time. Steep headwalls of massive landslides cut the flanks. Melting of its summit icecap during historical eruptions, which date back to the 16th century, has resulted in devastating lahars, including one in 1985 that was South America's deadliest eruption.

Source: Servicio Geológico Colombiano (SGC)