The eruption of 1985 produced gas and ash.
No, the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in 1985 was mainly an explosive eruption that generated pyroclastic flows and lahars by melting snow and ice on the volcano's summit. There was no significant lava eruption during this event.
No, Nevado del Ruiz is not a cinder cone volcano. It is a stratovolcano, which is a large, steep-sided volcano built up of many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash.
Around 2,500 deaths were caused by the most serious eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in 1985. The town of Armero was covered in a mass of mud and debris (or lahar) which the volcano produced.
From all the research I've done I have figured out that it had something to do with the shifting of the tectonic plate it sits on but I'm afraid that's about as detailed as it gets :/
The Nevado del Ruiz volcano is located on a destructive plate boundary whereby the dense, oceanic Nazca plate is being subducted under the less dense, continental South American plate. The melted rock from the Oceanic plate rises to the surface, the pressure builds until the magma erupts from the volcano. It is a composite or strato volcano meaning it is made up of layers of solidified lava and pyroclasic material.
Nevado del Ruiz is a stratovolcano, not a shield volcano. Shield volcanoes are typically broad and have gentle slopes created by low-viscosity lava flows, while stratovolcanoes have steep slopes and are composed of alternating layers of hardened lava, tephra, and volcanic ash.
The explosiveness of lava from Nevado del Ruiz primarily results from its composition, which is predominantly andesitic to dacitic. This composition contains significant amounts of silica, leading to higher viscosity. The viscosity traps gases, increasing internal pressure until it is released explosively during eruptions. Consequently, the eruptions can produce pyroclastic flows and ash clouds, making the volcano particularly hazardous.
After its eruption in 1988, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, commonly referred to as "Navidad," experienced significant growth. The volcanic dome formed reached a height of approximately 2,000 meters (about 6,600 feet) above its pre-eruption elevation. The dome grew rapidly, with an estimated growth rate of around 5 to 10 meters per day during its most active phase. This growth was primarily driven by the accumulation of lava and volcanic material following the eruption.
Mount Ruiz's lava typically contains around 60% to 70% silica. The exact percentage can vary depending on the specific type of eruption and the composition of the lava flow. This high silica content contributes to the lava's viscosity and the explosive nature of eruptions associated with the volcano.
Nevado del Ruiz formed in association with a subduction zone, where the Nazca plate, composed of oceanic crust, slides under the South American Plate, composed of continental crust. The subducting Nazca Plate dakes some water and other "volatile" substances with it. This lowers the melting point of the superheated rocks of Earth's mantle, causing some molten rock, called magma, to rise through the crust of the overriding South American Plate. This magma is released to the survace via volcanoes, one of which is Nevado del Ruiz. Over many thousands of years the ash and lava flows produced by the volcano have piled up to form a mountain.
The differences are that Pahoehoe produces fast moving lava; Aa produces slower moving lava. The kind of eruption that produces these types of lava is a quiet eruption.
The eruption of the boiling hot lava sent the small town into panic.