pyroclast
Airborne eruption debris
A pyroclast is a fragment of rock ejected during a volcanic eruption.
The term covers everything from fine ash to house-sized boulders hurled from an exploding volcano.
Pyroclastic material accumulates in layers around volcanic vents and can travel at tremendous speeds in pyroclastic flows—superheated avalanches of gas and debris that devastate everything in their path.
Explosive munitions dropped
- blocksObstructs or sections
- scoriaPorous volcanic ejecta
- pumiceLightweight volcanic abrasive
- cindersPartly burned coal pieces
spatter · ash · tuff · breccia · agglomerate · juvenile · lithic · crystal
Fine-grained volcanic stone
- andesiteIntermediate volcanic rock
- rhyolitePale volcanic igneous rock
- obsidianGlassy igneous rock
- pumiceLightweight volcanic abrasive
scoria · silica · vesicular · glassy · crystalline · intermediate · groundmass · mineral
Prone to sudden detonation
- plumeOrnamental feather or rising column
- ventOpening for airflow
- calderaCollapsed volcanic summit basin
- magmaMolten rock underground
lava · surge · column · fallout · ejection · fragmentation · volcanic · blast
Solidified volcanic ash
- agglomerateCollected into dense mass
- brecciaCemented angular rock fragments
- stratumHorizontal layer of material
- layerSingle thickness of material
welded · unwelded · lithified · sediment · accumulation · mantle · blanket · fallout
Sudden powerful increase
- laharVolcanic debris flow
- ashfallAirborne volcanic debris descending
- burialPlacing deceased underground
- inhalationTaking breath in
abrasion · impact · burns · suffocation · roof collapse · crop damage · respiratory · contamination
bombs
Explosive munitions dropped
cinders · spatter · ash · tuff · breccia · agglomerate · juvenile · lithic · crystal · accretionary
basalt
Fine-grained volcanic stone
pumice · scoria · silica · vesicular · glassy · crystalline · intermediate · groundmass · mineral · calcium
explosive
Prone to sudden detonation
- plumeOrnamental feather or rising column
- ventOpening for airflow
- calderaCollapsed volcanic summit basin
magma · lava · surge · column · fallout · ejection · fragmentation · volcanic · blast · deposition
tuff
Solidified volcanic ash
- agglomerateCollected into dense mass
- brecciaCemented angular rock fragments
- stratumHorizontal layer of material
layer · welded · unwelded · lithified · sediment · accumulation · mantle · blanket · fallout · airfall
surge
Sudden powerful increase
- laharVolcanic debris flow
- ashfallAirborne volcanic debris descending
- burialPlacing deceased underground
inhalation · abrasion · impact · burns · suffocation · roof collapse · crop damage · respiratory · contamination · evacuation
- pyroclastic flowHot volcanic gas-debris mixture
pyroclastic, pyroclastics, pyroclastic flow, pyroclastic flows