Nevado del Ruiz, 13 November 1985

I was going to publish a short piece yesterday marking the 23rd anniversary of the second-worst volcanic disaster of the twentieth century (and the worst ever in South America), the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in central Colombia on 13 November 1985. Lahars produced by the melting of Ruiz’s icecap swept through neighbouring valleys and destroyed the town of Armero: 23000 people died. The most tragic aspect of this terrible event is that it was an avoidable disaster.

Anyway, I was unfortunately too busy with other things so the post did not get written. But over at the Eruptions blog, Dr Erik Klemetti has written a fine piece on the 1985 disaster and why it matters (particularly given the current high level of volcanic activity in Colombia), so I recommend you take a look: 23rd anniversary of the Ruiz disaster and warning signs at Machin.

Image: Río Lagunillas, former location of Armero. Photograph by J. Marso in late November 1985 (USGS). [source]