NEVADO DEL RUIZ: A GLACIAL BURN

CENTRAL ANDES, COLUMBIA

You wouldn’t expect an icy mountain to burn you alive, but Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz volcano did just that. On 13 November 1985, an explosion from its large Arenas crater transformed the summit’s snow and glaciers into the start of a fatal mudflow. After monitoring the early activity – from its first stir until the evening – scientists said the event posed no danger to nearby residents. This meant that many who lived beneath the mountain in the city of Armero were asleep when the mud began to race down the slopes towards them. This was the first major eruption of the 5,321-metre volcano in around 150 years.