Volcanoes in Colombia
With 5 volcanoes in Colombia there have been a total of 9 significant eruptions over the past 500 years. Over 24,800 people were killed. The worst volcanic eruption in terms of deaths, destroyed houses and financial damages happened on 11/13/1985 with the eruption of "Ruiz". Here, 23080 people died.Out of 10 volcanos in Colombia, 6 are considered still active.
Other natural hazards in Colombia:
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Back to overview: Colombia
Colombia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which stretches for about 40,000 km around the Pacific Ocean. Here the tectonic plate of the Pacific collides with several surrounding continental plates and seismic tremors occur again and again. Most of the world's volcanic eruptions, which are also the most severe, occur in this zone.
The highest explosivity index in Colombia reached in the review period was VEI 4 in 1899. The volcano Dona Juana threw tephramasses of at least 100 million cubic meters over 10 kilometers high. Volcanoes of this size do not normally erupt more frequently than every 10 years.
Significant volcanic eruptions in Colombia in the last 500 years
The following list shows all volcanic eruptions of the last 500 years with significant damage. The column "VEI" stands for the volcano explosivity index, which represents the strength of the eruption from a geological point of view. This takes into account the height and volume of the rocks ejected. The scale ranges from 0-8, with the severity of the eruption increasing tenfold with each value. For example, a VEI of 1 means that the volcano throws lava and rock masses of 100,000 to 1 million cubic meters up to 1 kilometer high. From VEI 8, a volcano is considered a super volcano. Here, more than 1,000 cubic kilometers of tephra are thrown to altitudes of more than 25 kilometers.The highest explosivity index in Colombia reached in the review period was VEI 4 in 1899. The volcano Dona Juana threw tephramasses of at least 100 million cubic meters over 10 kilometers high. Volcanoes of this size do not normally erupt more frequently than every 10 years.
| Eruption | Volcano | VEI | Deaths | Total damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/20/2008 | Huila | 0 | 10 | |
| 04/18/2007 | Huila | 0 | 0 | |
| 01/14/1993 | Galeras | 2 | 9 | |
| 11/13/1985 | Ruiz | 3 | 23080 | |
| 05/26/1949 | Purace | 2 | 17 | |
| 11/13/1899 | Dona Juana | 4 | 55 | |
| 05/25/1885 | Purace | 3 | 0 | |
| 02/19/1845 | Ruiz | 3 | 1000 | |
| 03/12/1595 | Ruiz | 4 | 636 |
All volcanoes in Colombia
| Volcano | Elevation | Status | Last eruption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azufral de Tuquerres | 4070 m | Solfatara stage | |
| Dona Juana | 4250 m | Active | |
| Galeras | 4482 m | Active | 01/14/1993 |
| Machin | 2750 m | Solfatara stage | |
| Mesa Nevada deHerveo | 5590 m | Solfatara stage | |
| Nevado del Huila | 5750 m | Solfatara stage | |
| Nevado del Ruiz | 5400 m | Active | |
| Nevado del Tolima | 5215 m | Active | |
| Purace | 4600 m | Active | 05/26/1949 |
| Sotara | 4580 m | Potentially active |
These statistics are based on datas from the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program (GVP), and the Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database of the National Geophysical Data Center (NOAA) / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS) doi:10.7289/V5JW8BSH. Several data have been summarized and translated.
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