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How does an explosive eruption produce pyroclastic flow?

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Final answer:

An explosive eruption produces a pyroclastic flow by collapsing the eruptive column and sending an avalanche of hot gases, ash, and rock materials at high speeds capable of destroying nearly everything in their path and preserving the buried materials.

Step-by-step explanation:

An explosive eruption produces a pyroclastic flow by emitting a mixture of hot gases, ash, and rock materials from the volcano at high speeds. Pyroclastic flows occur when the eruptive column collapses, sending an avalanche of volcanic debris downslope. The resulting flows can move at incredible speeds, often over 60 mph, and reach temperatures of about 1,000 degrees Celsius. This voluminous, fast-moving, and hot material destroys nearly everything in its path through a combination of thermal incineration and mechanical force.

As seen during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, pyroclastic flows can drastically alter the landscape, burying cities like Pompeii and Herculaneum under a dense layer of ash and rock, preserving the ruins and organic materials for centuries. The material ejected during the eruption creates a rough, hilly region surrounding the crater rim, which is also known as the ejecta blanket.

User Prabagaran
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i think this must be if i remember The huge amounts of smoke and ash often seen billowing from active volcanoes generally travel vertically, carried upward by the powerful thermal updrafts volcanoes generate. There are two major types of pyroclastic flows. The first actually comes from the collapse of one of the typical columns of smoke and ash from a volcano. This is the fastest and most energetic type, caused when the weight of the material in the column is too much for the air pressure to support.

The other type of pyroclastic flow is caused by the collapse of a lava dome, the swelling of the earth caused by pressure from magma below. This pyroclastic flow actually has two major components, the visible ash cloud along with an avalanche of hot blocks from the disintegrating dome. The two types of flows leave different types of ash deposits, which geologists can identify long after an eruption.

User Luke Wyatt
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