What is pyroclastic flow in simple words?

A pyroclastic flow is a dense, fast-moving flow of solidified lava pieces, volcanic ash, and hot gases. It occurs as part of certain volcanic eruptions. A pyroclastic flow is extremely hot, burning anything in its path. It may move at speeds as high as 200 m/s.

What is an example of pyroclastic flow?

Pyroclastic flows can be extremely destructive and deadly because of their high temperature and mobility. For example, during the 1902 eruption of Mont Pelee in Martinique (West Indies), a pyroclastic flow (also known as a “nuee ardente”) demolished the coastal city of St. Pierre, killing nearly 30,000 inhabitants.

Why is it called a pyroclastic flow?

Origin of term The word pyroclast is derived from the Greek πῦρ, meaning “fire”, and κλαστός, meaning “broken in pieces”. A name for pyroclastic flows which glow red in the dark is nuée ardente (French, “burning cloud”); this was notably used to describe the disastrous 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée on Martinique.

What happens if you get caught in a pyroclastic flow?

Pyroclastic flows are flows composed of gas and volcanic material—prior research has shown that they can flow downhill away from an eruption at speeds of up to 450 mph—and temperatures are as hot as 1000 degrees C. When a person is overcome by such a flow, the result is instant death.

What is the difference between pyroclastic flow and lava flow?

The difference between lava and pyroclastic flows lies on its speed. Lava creeps slowly and burns everything in its path but pyroclastic flows destroys nearly everything by land and air, its speed is usually greater than 80 km per hour, but it can reach 400 km per hour.

Can you outrun a pyroclastic flow?

Could I outrun the lava and make it to safety? Well, technically, yes. Even if you could stay ahead of the lava, you’d never survive the pyroclastic flow, an unimaginably hot, fast-moving cloud of ash, rock, gas and debris that wipes out everything in its path.

How many people have survived a pyroclastic flow?

One notorious example of a pyroclastic flow happening elsewhere was the eruption of Mount Pelée on the island of Martinique on May 8 1902. Pyroclastic flows destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre and killed an estimated 30,000 people. Only a handful survived, one of whom was a prisoner in a jail cell.

How far can pyroclastic flows travel?

Pyroclastic Flows – can travel large distances from a volcano, typically about 10 – 15 km, but sometimes up to 100 km. Soufrière Type – the eruption column can no longer be sustained (due to loss of pressure), so the column collapses forming pyroclastic flows on the flanks of the volcano (St Vincent, 1902).

Can people survive pyroclastic flow?

Every time a volcano erupts, there’s a chance of a pyroclastic flow. It can happen when a volcano is damaged during an eruption, or the lava shoots upwards, and then collapses. But believe it or not, people have managed to survive a pyroclastic flow.

Are pyroclastic flows rare?

Eruptions of hot ash, pumice, and gas formed a pyroclastic flow deposit 75,000 years ago that can be seen at the base of the cliffs of Paulina Creek Falls.

What is the difference between a pyroclastic flow and pyroclastic surge?

A pyroclastic flow is a dense collection of fragments and gases from a volcanic eruption that flows down the slope of a volcano. A pyroclastic surge is a low-density flow of volcanic material with a higher proportion of gas to rock.

When was the last pyroclastic flow?

Fuego volcano: the deadly pyroclastic flows that have killed dozens in Guatemala. Dozens of people have been killed, and with many more missing, after Volcán de Fuego (Fuego) in Guatemala erupted on June 3 2018.