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It is built inside an older caldera and has an elongated N-S shape composed by a series of andesitic-dacitic lava domes and its summit areas are capped by ice. Until its recent awakening in early , only a single 16th-century explosive eruption is recorded in historical time from this little known volcano.
Two persistent steam columns rise from the central peak, and hot springs have been present. Nevado del Huila volcano Sratovolcano m 17, ft Colombia, 2. Show interactive Map.
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Video References. Victoria R. After that, sporadic peaks in seismicity occurred in and, after a significant increase in long period LP earthquakes in November , a large eruption and devastating lahars occurred on 20 November In this report, we discuss hazard mitigation efforts, escalating SO 2 emissions, and unrest that culminated in that fatal November eruption.
Two volcanic hazard maps. In figures 14 and 15, the red zone highest risk includes the young volcanic edifice and the major drainages; this region may experience lava flows up to 3 km from the edifice, particularly from the N and central peaks see figure 6 in BGVN for an annotated photo of peaks and names ; pyroclastic flows are possible from the central peak Pico Central ; lahars could occur along the flanks and connected drainages; ash and volcanic bombs may fall to distances of 5 km from the volcanic peaks.
Volcanic seismicity and gases are also a hazard in the most proximal regions. The orange zone moderate risk extends beyond the immediate volcanic edifice and encompasses an approximately circular region within a radius of 8 km. Within this zone, lava flows could cover the young and old edifice originating from Pico Sur S peak reaching distances up to 5 km; lava flows from the N and central peaks may cover the old edifice; pyroclastics, particularly lava bombs, could reach this region and fall up to 8 km from the N and central peaks.
Seismicity and hazardous volcanic gases could also occur in the orange zone, but these events have a lower probability here compared to similar events in the red zone.
Pyroclastic flows are also possible in the case of dome or lava flow front collapse. Post-eruptive activity, May-December In late April, SO 2 emissions remained high. Table 1. After seismic activity peaked during April with more than 2, volcano-tectonic VT events detected, 1, VT events were detected in May. Seismicity decreased from over events per week in June to fewer than events per week in December Shallow and deep earthquakes were recorded during this time period, mostly M 2 or less.
Earthquakes were generally clustered in three groups; the shallowest events were those that occurred within less than 3 km below the surface, those that occurred at depths of km below the surface, and the deepest events, which occurred at depths between km. Small ash explosions may have occurred during tremor events in July and one event in August. Observers saw a white column of gas that rose up to m above the crater.
Activity during January-May People aboard commercial flights passing over the volcano in early January reported new ash deposits on the W flank of Pico Central. On both days, the gas column was dispersing NW. Seismicity increased in March. The Local Committee of Disaster Prevention ordered the municipal school closed and placed the hospital on maximum alert.
During an observation flight on 5 April, no significant geomorphic changes were observed at Pico Central or Pico Norte; sulfur odors were reported near areas of the E flank. On 13 April, a seismic swarm lasting over 2 hours and an associated M 3.
On 14 April, a swarm of earthquakes was detected and LP seismicity suggested ash emissions had occurred. At , the Alert Level was raised to Red I , indicating "imminent eruption or in course," although the darkness made it difficult to discern what activity was occurring.
El Tiempo reported that 4, people evacuated in less than 20 minutes from high-risk areas. Three VT earthquakes were detected during April with magnitudes between 3.
An observation flight on 29 April revealed no significant changes due to volcanic activity, but some glacial material had shaken loose and formed small flows high on the volcano that did not reach any major rivers. April seismicity included VT, LP, and 65 tremor events figure On 9 May at , 25 minutes of tremor occurred in an episode likely associated with ash emissions. This episode was preceded by 16 pulses of low-magnitude tremor. Sparse M earthquakes were registered from Pico Central throughout the month and a swarm of 20 such events occurred on 27 May.
The largest earthquake during this time, M 3. During May LP earthquakes dominated the records. Activity during June-August Sulfur dioxide odors were reported by scientists during an overflight of Nevado del Huila on 12 June On 2 July at , an M 2.
This event was located 6. From June to August , an average of 60 hybrid and 6 surficial events rockfalls, avalanches, glacial noise, etc. For the month of August , seismometers detected 1, VT, LP, 62 hybrid, 15 tremor, and 13 surficial events. Compared to April , the distribution of earthquake hypocenters had become more dispersed over time.
Thus, in August, earthquake focal depths were in the range of km and were concentrated within linear groups figure Activity during September-October On 2 September , an M 4. This earthquake was located 2. Relatively large earthquakes were detected during and September. Four of the six largest earthquakes during September caused local residents to report shaking.
The largest event was an M 4, located 1 km N of Pico Central and at a depth of 3. An M 4 earthquake that occurred at on 14 September was also noticed by residents; this event was 6. VT seismicity continued to dominate the records in September and that month, the number of LP, tremor, and hybrid earthquakes increased compared to August table 2. Table 2. Seismicity detected at Nevado del Huila during August-December During an observation flight in cooperation with the Colombian Air Force FAC on 12 September, observers noted intense fumarolic activity and small mudflows on the volcano's upper flanks.
Ash-and-gas emissions may have been associated with that event. Fluctuating activity continued throughout October. NOAA satellite images revealed a constant flow of SO 2 gas in a white cloud from the northern sector of the volcano. LP earthquakes more than doubled and tremor had increased from 34 to events since the previous month. VT events had occurred slightly less frequently 1, events in October compared to 1, events in September , and there were fewer hybrid events recorded.
Elevated activity in early November Inhabitants on the S side of the volcano observed that gas emissions changed color from white to gray for short intervals. Continuous seismic tremor was detected on 7 November and prompted an increase in the Alert Level from Yellow to Orange. They continued to receive reports of sulfur odors and ashfall in local regions W and SW of the edifice.
On 13 and 14 November, ash plumes reached 6. On 14 November, scientists identified a conspicuous "drumbeat" pattern of seismicity underneath the volcano, signifying the movement of magma and the potential buildup to an eruption figure This pattern intensified over the next six days. Drumbeat earthquakes. The term "drumbeat" was coined by scientists during the onset of the Mount St. After a series of seismic swarms, tremor, and explosions from the crater, USGS scientists noted that regular, impulsive seismic signals were detected at shallow depths beneath the Mount St.
Helens dome on 16 October ; this pattern of seismicity continued until the end of Moran and others, Eruption during November At on 20 November , Nevado del Huila erupted. By the following day, seismic activity diminished significantly, and the Alert Level was lowered from Red I, posted during the eruption to Orange II.
During two observation flights conducted with the support of the Colombian Air Force, observers saw a m-diameter crater in the S part of Pico Central containing a degassing lava dome on 21 November figure The lava dome was thought to have formed during previous months, but had not been visible due to poor weather conditions prior to the eruption.
Strong fumarolic activity was observed along the large cracks in the volcano from previous eruptions. Human toll and humanitarian response. On 23 November , the National Direction for Prevention and Assistance DPAD reported that six people had died three boys, one girl and two men and three people were missing. On 21 November, President Alvaro Uribe flew over the disaster area to observe the damage.
Afterward, he designated a special commission to oversee the repair of infrastructure damaged by the mudflows. Destruction of bridges and roads made humanitarian aid to the area difficult, especially to more isolated communities, but the Colombian Air Force FAC provided air support to ease relief efforts. Table 3. Human impact of the 20 November Nevado del Huila eruption.
Activity during December After the November eruption, volcanic unrest significantly decreased. Overflights were conducted on 4 and 6 December to observe the degassing lava dome; gases were primarily rising from the highest portions of the dome, producing a white plume reaching less than 1, m above the peak figure New fractures were also observed in the surface of Pico Central's glaciers.
On 12 December , a webcam was installed within the SSW sector of Nevado del Huila and by 18 December began to provide continuous visual monitoring of changes in the dome.
This equipment was a donation from the U. Geological Survey. On 18 December a permanent station dedicated to the monitoring of SO 2 emissions was installed in the town of Caloto Cauca. Sulfur dioxide odors were noted by a commercial airline crew at on 30 December. Moran, S. Helens, In Sherrod, D. Geological Survey Professional Paper Nevado del Huila, the highest peak in the Colombian Andes, is an elongated N-S-trending volcanic chain mantled by a glacier icecap.
The andesitic-dacitic volcano was constructed within a km-wide caldera. Volcanism at Nevado del Huila has produced six volcanic cones whose ages in general migrated from south to north. The high point of the complex is Pico Central. Two glacier-free lava domes lie at the southern end of the volcanic complex. The first historical activity was an explosive eruption in the midth century.
Long-term, persistent steam columns had risen from Pico Central prior to the next eruption in , when explosive activity was accompanied by damaging mudflows. The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.
The Nevado del Huila volcanic complex, Colombia, S. Descripcion de los volcanes Colombianos. Espinosa B A, Volcano-tectonic segmentation of the northern Andes. Geology Hantke G, Parodi I, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Review and reassessment of hazards owing to volcano-glacier interactions in Colombia. Annals Glaciology , Mendez Fajury R A, Catalogo de los volcanes activos en Colombia. Late Pleistocene deposits associated with a southern flank collapse of the Nevado del Huila volcanic complex Colombia.
Acta Vulc , The maps shown below have been scanned from the GVP map archives and include the volcano on this page. Clicking on the small images will load the full dpi map. Very small-scale maps such as world maps are not included. The maps database originated over 30 years ago, but was only recently updated and connected to our main database. We welcome users to tell us if they see incorrect information or other problems with the maps; please use the Contact GVP link at the bottom of the page to send us email.
Nevado del Huila. Figure Note that these images have been altered from the originals; GVP staff increased the brightness and contrast in order to better distinguish the peaks of the Huila complex. Top images Incandescence on 6 November was absent at left image but appeared at within the green circled region right image. The darker peak centered in the foreground is Pico Sur, while the active Pico Central is located higher and to the right of that peak in these images.
Bottom images Plumes of ash and gas drifting NW from Pico Central were observed on 9 November at left image and right image.
The green circled region in the left-hand image corresponds to the same location circled in the image from on 6 November. Two water droplets on the camera lens created the local circular distortions. This composite image shows, at left, a map view of the three Nevado del Huila webcamera locations and the extent of their viewsheds.
Photos at right show camera installation sites. The newest monitoring station Caloto was installed on 19 May on the SW flank. A map of monitoring stations for Nevado del Huila from June included locations of webcameras and seismic, geochemical, and geophysical instruments. Note that yellow and black lines represent major and minor roads, respectively, and blue lines represent rivers.
In this view, the SW flank centered emitted a small gas column. This image highlights the zone of active lava dome growth outlined in yellow and the perimeter of the crater outlined in orange.
Photos taken on 19 April showed Nevado del Huila's active dome and the adjacent ash-covered and locally disturbed glacier.
Cloud cover obscures the upper peaks of Pico Central left and Pico Sur right. The glacier around Pico Central is difficult to distinguish due to ash cover and cracking attributed to dome emplacement. Gas emissions had been more concentrated from the higher region of the dome, however, the bright glow in this image may also be due to the reflective cloud-cover seen in the visible-spectrum image top. An ash plume from Nevado del Huila's newly-formed crater and fumarolic sites was observed from aircraft on 23 October The accumulation of newly erupted material was typically observed from the upper region of the dome circled in blue ; the extent of the dome is outlined with yellow.
Ashfall had covered the snow and glaciers of Huila; however, cracks in the glacier remained visible as jagged black and white lines, particularly on Pico Sur right-hand edge of photo. In this photo of the S face of Pico Central, steam and ash rise from the crater, and brown-red ash and blocks cover the glacier that surrounds the active dome.
Dome rock extends from the center of Pico Central to lower elevations on the W flank. Ash covered snow and glacial ice surrounds the immediate region of the dome while plumes of gas drift westerly. The dark gray, rounded peak to the lower left is Cerro Negro, the location of a seismic station that remained offline during this reporting period. During an overflight on 22 February , Nevado del Huila's active dome, displaced ice, and gas emissions were visible. Fresh volcanic material clearly began to extend W and E, divided by the long axis of the Huila complex.
Middle Degassing dome rock is visible along the W flank. The blocky gray rock centered in this region was attributed to lava extrusion. Bottom New dome rock is in contact with the fragmented glacial ice on the E flank, and dome steaming is visible along the margin. Near the dome, the glacier was notably fragmented and discolored due to overlying debris and ash.
The extent of the debris flow is visible as a 1. The thermal image is zoomed in on the brown-colored lava dome that continued to steam and degass, forming a small plume rising above Pico Central.
Gas emissions were rising from the highest region of the dome and the minimum and maximum temperatures were less than 30 and On 14 January , clear conditions provided aerial views of Nevado del Huila's lava dome texture. Steaming was visible from some regions of the dome but a strong plume was not visible during this overflight. In this plot, the number of events were tallied per day and plotted over time. The legend in the upper right-hand corner lists terminology in Spanish that relates to these conventions: VT red , LP yellow , hybrid orange , explosions red with black outlines , tremor blue , and surface activity such as rockfalls green.
Explosions were detected during this time period, but are difficult to read from this plot. Explosions were detected mainly in June and July; see previous subsection " Observations of dome growth and summit activity during " for descriptions of explosive activity.
A map with cross-sections plotting epicenters and hypocenters of volcano-tectonic and hybrid earthquakes during June at Nevado del Huila. Three zones of clustered activity took place beneath the volcanic edifice dashes lines. Note the yellow bar for scale 10 km and the yellow text labeling five seismic stations marked with blue squares.
Seismicity from January through May detected from Nevado del Huila included notable peaks in LP earthquakes. The legend in the upper left-hand corner lists VT red , LP yellow , hybrid orange , explosions red with black outlines , tremor blue , and surface activity such as rockfalls green.
This plot of Nevado del Huila's seismicity during January-December shows a general decline in seismicity. This plot excludes VT earthquakes, highlighting instead the daily count of LP, hybrid, and tremor events. Note that the largest highlighted region has been an area of persistent seismicity throughout the year for example, see figure These images include color-coded line segments that correspond to high and low concentrations red and blue, respectively.
The approximate locations of the plume have been shaded to correspond with the locations of high SO 2 flux.
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