Devastating pyroclastic flows and surges from the March-April 1982 eruptions of El Chichón turned large areas surrounding the crater into a landscape devoid of vegetation. The pyroclastic flows and surges travelled radially away from the volcano to distances of about 6 km, covering an area of about 153 km². This January 1983 aerial photo shows the effect of extensive erosion of these deposits during the previous rainy season.

Photo by Bill Rose, 1983 (Michigan Technological University).

This image is made available under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license terms.

Keywords: environmental impact | deposit | erosion

El Chichón