Resolving the Pacific…
Volcano 09 / 10
Nevado del Ruiz
An ice-capped Andean volcano whose 1985 lahars devastated Armero.
4.892°N75.324°W
- Form
- Stratovolcano
- Elevation
- 5,279 m
- Last known eruption
- 2026
- GVP number
- 351020
01 Read the landform
The 1985 eruption was moderate in size, but hot material melted snow and ice. Lahars traveled far down river valleys—an example of how impact is not reducible to eruption magnitude.
Tectonic setting
Northern Volcanic Zone of the Andes above Nazca plate subduction.
Membership note
Included in the current Smithsonian PROF regional definition.
02 Selected eruption record
Armero tragedy
Lahars caused catastrophic loss of life after the 13 November eruption.
This is a curated profile excerpt, not the complete eruption catalog. Historical year, month, and day fields remain nullable in the analytical database.
03 Source record
Claim-level values in this profile resolve to the source below. Dataset membership and narrative interpretation are stored separately.
Fixture version5.3.6 fixtureConfidenceauthoritativeFixture refreshedJuly 15, 2026