Orange Alert continues due to Nevado del Ruiz activity

The Colombian Geological Survey (SGC) reported that seismic activity in the Nevado del Ruiz volcano It remains volatile, with an increase in the last few hours, which is why the orange alert is maintained.

“The seismic activity associated with the movement of fluids within volcanic channels showed an increase compared to the previous day and was associated with several pulsating and continuous ash emissions,” the SGC said in a statement.

The information added that the highest observed height of the gas and/or ash column was 1700 meters measured from the summit of the volcano, and the preferred direction of column dispersion was to the southwest.

The Geological Survey’s daily bulletin also showed that “outgassing rates remained at levels similar to those recorded the previous day. Except, there have been reports of several thermal anomalies“.

Geologists emphasized this orange alert level may vary and at times it decreases compared to previous days, but this does not mean that the volcano has returned to a lower level of activity.

The agency stressed that they should change and return to the yellow level “it takes a reasonable amount of time where trends and patterns can be observed that allow us to conclude about a possible reduction in activity”.

For this reason, he warned that the orange alert will remain for several weeks and that “during that time, in the event that there is an acceleration of processes that point to an imminent eruption or that the eruption itself occurs, the activity level will change to red“.

Faced with this situation, Colombian President Gustavo Petrohe asked to speed up the “preventive evacuation of 2,500 families” located in areas near the volcano.

The National Disaster Risk Management Unit (UNGRD) he explained that there are two categories of municipalities that would be affected: those that could receive pyroclastic flows (highly toxic gases and ash) and those that are close to rivers, because melting snow from volcanoes due to high temperatures can cause avalanches.

This volcano, located in Los Nevados National Park between the departments of Caldas and Tolima, had an eruption on November 13, 1985which caused the biggest natural disaster in the country.

Because of the eruption, its glaciers melted caused an avalanche that destroyed the city of Armero (Tolima)where more than 23,000 of its 25,000 inhabitants died.