Abstract
Explosive volcanic eruptions typically show a huge column of ash and
debris ejected into the stratosphere, crackling with lightning. Yet
equally hazardous are the fast moving avalanches of hot gas and rock
that can rush down the volcano's flanks at speeds approaching 280
kilometers per hour. Called pyroclastic flows, these surges can reach
temperatures of 400 C. Fast currents and hot temperatures can quickly
overwhelm communities living in the shadow of volcanoes, such as
what happened to Pompeii and Herculaneum after the 79 C.E. eruption
of Italy's Mount Vesuvius or to Saint-Pierre after Martinique's Mount
Pelée erupted in 1902.
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