lahar
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A small lahar triggered by rainfall rushes down the
Nima II River near the town of El Palmar in Guatemala. The lahar developed
on the slopes of Santiaguito volcano. Credit: J. N. Marso / U.S. Geological
Survey |
Lahar is an Indonesian word for a rapidly flowing mixture of rock debris
and water that originates on the slopes of a volcano.
Lahars are also referred to as volcanic mudflows or debris flows. They form
in a variety of ways, chiefly by the rapid melting of snow and ice by pyroclastic
flows, intense rainfall on loose volcanic rock deposits, breakout of a lake
dammed by volcanic deposits, and as a consequence of debris
avalanches. Related category
GEOLOGY
AND PLANETARY SCIENCE Source: U.S.
Geological Survey
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