Nevado del Ruiz Volcano

About Nevado del Ruiz Volcano:

• Nevado del Ruiz is an ice-clad stratovolcano located in the Andes Mountains of Colombia, South America.
• It is part of the former Ruiz-Tolima volcanic complex as well as the dangerous Pacific Ring of fire.
• Previous eruption
  • The volcano has erupted several times in the past, with the most catastrophic eruption occurring on November 13, 1985.
  • Since the 1985 eruption, has remained active, with several smaller eruptions occurring in the years following the disaster.

What is a stratovolcano?

• Stratovolcano is also called a composite volcano.
• This volcanic landform is characterized by a conical shape formed by layers of volcanic material deposited during successive volcanic eruptions.
• These volcanoes tend to slope gently at the base but rise quickly near the summit to form tall mountain peaks.
• They are typically found above subduction zones, and they are often part of large volcanically active regions, such as the Ring of Fire that frames much of the Pacific Ocean.

Key facts about the  Pacific Ring of fire

• It also known as the Circum-Pacific Belt is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
• Its length is approximately 40,000 kilometres (24,900 miles).
• It traces boundaries between several tectonic plates—including the Pacific, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Indian-Australian, Nazca, North American, and Philippine Plates.

Q1) What is an earthquake?

An earthquake is the sudden release of strain energy in the Earth’s crust, resulting in waves of shaking that radiate outwards from the earthquake source. When stresses in the crust exceed the strength of the rock, it breaks along lines of weakness, either a pre-existing or new fault plane.

Source: Nevado del Ruiz: Residents evacuated from slopes of volcano