Armero

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Armero, the aftermath.

Armero was the second biggest city in Tolima Department of Colombia that was buried by a series of lahars after the nearby volcano Nevado del Ruiz erupted, killing about 21,000 people. The volcano had been dormant for almost 150 years when people began hearing rumbling from the volcano in 1985.

Geologists and other experts had warned authorities and media outlets about the danger up to several weeks and days earlier. When interviewed by reporters, a number of different officials told people that the city was safe and downplayed the possible effects of the natural phenomenon. The mayor of Armero himself, during the night before the explosion, assured citizens that there was nothing to fear.

[edit] 1985 Destruction

On the night of November 13, 1985 Nevado del Ruiz erupted, spewing volcanic ash and causing lahars 60 meters thick. the lava type was a'a. Only one quarter of the population of Armero survived the lahar. The city was buried in ash and mud, and remains buried to this day, much like the city of Pompeii. Footage and photos of Omayra Sánchez, a young victim of the tragedy, were published around the world.

The explosion of the volcano was not the main cause of the disappearance of Armero. The Lagunilla river had been blocked for more than 2 months, when considerably smaller eruptions of the Arenas volcano had melted part of the Ruiz mountain. As a result, the Lagunilla ended up looking more like a dam than a river.

The Nevado del Ruiz Volcano eruption swept away Armero.

The night when the volcano exploded, a gigantic ice rock from the top of the mountain fell into the Lagunilla river, creating a huge wave of mud, ash and water. It is estimated that the wave was traveling at 300 miles per hour as it hit Armero. Traveling through the narrow Lagunilla river, it gained speed and power as it hit the plains of the city of Armero. It took less than 15 minutes from the time of the eruption, to the time when the city was gone.

Gigantic rocks embedded in the bottom of the Lagunilla river were moved from their prehistoric positions and started travelling along with the wave, helping to destroy everything in its path. After the first few hours, a lesser secondary wave caused further damage. The next morning, a plane transmitting to Colombia's Civil Defense system, overflying what was supposed to be Armero, is known to have remarked: "My God, Armero has been erased from the map", "Dios mio, Armero ha sido borrada del mapa".