Historic Disasters That Were Way Worse Than People Think

Historic Disasters That Were Way Worse Than People Think

Khalid Elhassan - April 6, 2020

Historic Disasters That Were Way Worse Than People Think
A contemporary illustration depicting ash from Huaynaputina falling on nearby Arequipa. Wikimedia

5. Ash, Lava, and Lahars

Volcanic ash from the Huaynaputina eruption began falling down, and within a day, the city of Arequipa, 50 miles away, was covered by ash nearly a foot deep. Falling ash was recorded over 300 miles away, in Chile and Bolivia.

Smaller eruptions continued for the next couple of weeks, until the volcano finally went quiet on March 5th. In the eruption, lava flowed about ten miles from the volcano, while lahars, or mud slides, made it all the way to the Pacific Ocean, 75 miles away.

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