Pelean Eruption

In a Pelean or "Nuee Ardent" (glowing cloud) eruption, such as occurred on the Mayan Volcano in the Philippines in 1968, a large quantity of gas, dust, ash, and incandescent lava fragments are blown out of a central crater, fall back, and form tongue-like, glowing avalanches that move down-slope at velocities as great as 100 miles per hour. Such eruptive activity can cause great destruction and loss of life if it occurs in populated areas, as demonstrated by the devastation of St. Pierre during the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelee on Martinique, West Indies.^[1]

References[edit]

1. ↑ Glossary of Volcano and Related Terminology (Tilling, 1985)