ashfall
Eruption's gray snow
Ashfall is the deposit of volcanic ash that settles from the air after an eruption.
The term describes both the event and the accumulated material: The ashfall blanketed the town in gray dust.
Heavy ashfall can collapse roofs, contaminate water supplies, and ground aircraft.
The word parallels rainfall and snowfall in structure.
Ejected volcanic material
- pyroclasticHot eruption debris
- eruptionViolent sudden release
- plumeOrnamental feather or rising column
- craterImpact or volcanic basin
caldera · vent · magma · lava · pumice · scoria · basalt · andesite
Single thickness of material
- blanketSoft bed covering
- accumulationCollected mass over time
- dustingRemoving surface grime
- coatingApplied surface covering
thickness · sediment · drift · coverage · burial · blanketing · mantle · residue
Removal from danger
- respiratoryRelated to breathing organs
- toxicityCapacity to cause harm
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
- suffocationFatal lack of air
visibility · mask · goggles · air quality · disaster · emergency · crop damage · roof collapse
Neutral achromatic hue
- paleLacking color intensity
- charcoalBurned wood residue
- dustyCoated with fine particles
- hazyUnclear, indistinct
overcast · dim · gloomy · muted · monochrome · powdery · particulate
Particles settling in liquid
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- fossilPreserved ancient organism
- paleontologyStudy of ancient organisms
tuff · excavation · core sample · dating · Cretaceous · K-Pg boundary · trace · imprint
tephra
Ejected volcanic material
- pyroclasticHot eruption debris
- eruptionViolent sudden release
- plumeOrnamental feather or rising column
crater · caldera · vent · magma · lava · pumice · scoria · basalt · andesite · rhyolite
layer
Single thickness of material
- blanketSoft bed covering
- accumulationCollected mass over time
- dustingRemoving surface grime
coating · thickness · sediment · drift · coverage · burial · blanketing · mantle · residue · powder
evacuation
Removal from danger
- respiratoryRelated to breathing organs
- toxicityCapacity to cause harm
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
suffocation · visibility · mask · goggles · air quality · disaster · emergency · crop damage · roof collapse · infrastructure
gray
Neutral achromatic hue
hazy · overcast · dim · gloomy · muted · monochrome · powdery · particulate
sedimentation
Particles settling in liquid
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- fossilPreserved ancient organism
paleontology · tuff · excavation · core sample · dating · Cretaceous · K-Pg boundary · trace · imprint
- volcanic activityeruption, active, lava, dormant, magma
- volcanoesvolcano, volcanic eruption, Mount Fuji, volcanic eruptions, caldera
- ashashtray, cremains, cinder, cinders, ember
- tephrapumice, volcanic bombs, scoria, cinders, volcanic dust
- Supervolcanoessupervolcano, Yellowstone, caldera, calderas, magma chamber
ashfalllava flow
Moving volcanic discharge
pyroclastic flow · lava · magma · volcanic gas · lava fountain
ashfallrainfall
Water falling from clouds
snowfall · precipitation · rain · clean air · clear skies