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Pyroclastic flows sweep down the flanks of Mayon Volcano, Philippines, in 2018. A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic density current or a pyroclastic cloud) [1] is a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that flows along the ground away from a volcano at average speeds of 100 km/h (30 m/s; 60 mph) but is capable of reaching speeds up to ...
The most important characteristic of a Peléan eruption is the presence of a glowing avalanche of hot volcanic ash, called a pyroclastic flow. Formation of lava domes is another characteristic. Short flows of ash or creation of pumice cones may be observed as well. The initial phases of eruption are characterized by pyroclastic flows.
Tephra is any sized or composition pyroclastic material produced by an explosive volcanic eruption and precise geological definitions exist. [2] It consists of a variety of materials, typically glassy particles formed by the cooling of droplets of magma , which may be vesicular, solid or flake-like, and varying proportions of crystalline and ...
The following Pelean phase produced pyroclastic surges of molten rock and hot gases that reached as far as Misenum, to the west. Concentrated to the south and southeast, two pyroclastic surges engulfed Pompeii with a 1.8-metre-deep (6 ft) layer, burning and asphyxiating any living beings who had remained behind.
A block and ash flow or block-and-ash flow is a flowing mixture of volcanic ash and large (>26 cm) angular blocks [1] commonly formed as a result of a gravitational collapse of a lava dome or lava flow. [2] Block and ash flows are a type of pyroclastic flow and as such they form during volcanic eruptions. [3]
The area devastated by the pyroclastic cloud covered about 21 km 2 (8 sq mi), with the city of Saint-Pierre taking the brunt of the damage. At the time of the eruption, Saint-Pierre had a population of about 28,000, which had swollen with refugees from the minor explosions and mud flows first emitted by the volcano.
Earthly pyroclastic flows can travel at up to 80 km (50 mi) per hour and reach temperatures of 200 to 700 °C (392 to 1,292 °F). The high temperatures can burn flammable materials in the flow's path, including wood, vegetation, and buildings.
A pyroclastic surge is a fluidised mass of turbulent gas and rock fragments that is ejected during some volcanic eruptions.It is similar to a pyroclastic flow but it has a lower density or contains a much higher ratio of gas to rock, [1] which makes it more turbulent and allows it to rise over ridges and hills rather than always travel downhill as pyroclastic flows do.