How can a lahar occur without an eruption?

Answer 1

Lahar is an outflow of mud, rock and other pyroclastic material from a volcano which mixes with water as it proceeds down a river valley . Essentially it is a mudflow or landslide resulting from volcanic action, usually very fast moving and destructive. In some cases it can be more destructive than the actual volcanic eruption.

Lahars look and behave like flowing debris, and concrete, (also ash) and their impact destroys most man made structures. Mt Rainer had lahars that traveled at 70/80 km/h at depths of 30 meters or more.

Answer 2

A lahar can occur without an eruption when a pocket of water from a glacier or a lake is suddenly released, triggering a debris flow down the volcano's slopes. Heavy rainfall or melting snow can also saturate loose volcanic ash and trigger a lahar without an eruption.

Answer 3

A lahar is a mudflow made from ash and similar volcanic material. These mudflows moves like floods but are denser, making them more destruct. Buildings can be crushed or carried away, and towns can be buried. When a lahars stops the mud stays where it is and eventually hardens. People may be buried alive.

Answer 4

A lahar is a mudflow that forms from the mixing of volcanic ash with water. It can result from an eruption melting snow and ice on top of the volcano or from heavy rain fallin on an ash deposit. A lahar behaves in a similar manner to a flash-flood but is about as dense as concrete. As a result, people may easily be caught off guard and then be swept away, droanwed, or crushed. After a lahar stops the mud settles and hardens, potentially trapping people in it.

Answer 5

A lahar is a volcanic mudflow that can be initiated in a few ways. In some cases an eruption can melt the snow pack on top of a volcano. This then mixes with ash both from the eruption and previously deposited, forming a mass of flowing mud. At other times muflows can occur when heavy rain falls on volcanic ash. Other mudflows can be initiated by landslides on volcanoes, especially where acid from volcanic gasses has turned the rock into clay.

Answer 6

A Lahar is a type of mudflow made of pyroclastic material and water that flows down from a volcano. the word Lahar originated from Indonesia. Lahars can be deadly because of their energy and speed.

Lahars can occur even without any current volcanic activity, as long as the conditions are right to cause the collapse and movement of mud originating from existing volcanic ash deposits.

Answer 7

A lahar is a volcanic mudflow. These mudflows are very dangerous and destructive. They can be triggered in a couple different ways. In some cases an eruption melts snow and ice which then mixes with volcanic ash to form a mudflow. In other cases a mudflow can occur when heavy rain saturates ash and mobilizes it.

Answer 8

Synonyms for lahar include mudflow and debris flow.

Answer 9

A lahar can occur if water, most likely from heavy rain, mobilizes a pre-existing deposit of volcanic ash.

Answer 10

Other names for Lahars include:

• pyroclastic flows
• mudflows
• debris flows
• volcanic mudflows