olcanic ash is made of tiny fragments of jagged rock, minerals, and volcanic glass.

Unlike the soft ash created by burning wood, volcanic ash is hard, abrasive, and
does not dissolve in water. Generally, particles of volcanic ash are 2 millimeters (.08
inches) across or smaller. 
 
Coarse particles of volcanic ash look and feel like grains of sand, while very fine
particles are powdery. Particles are sometimes called tephra—which actually refers
to all solid material ejected by volcanoes. Ash is a product of explosive volcanic
eruptions. When gases inside a volcano's magma chamber expand, they violently
push molten rock (magma) up and out of the volcano. 
 
The force of these explosions shatters and propels the liquid rock into the air. In the
air, magma cools and solidifies into volcanic rock and glass fragments. Eruptions can
also shatter the solid rock of the magma chamber and volcanic mountain itself.
These rock fragments can mix with the solidified lava fragments in the air and create
an ash cloud.   
 
Wind can carry small volcanic ash particles great distances. Ash has been found
thousands of kilometers away from an eruption site. The smaller the particle, the
further the wind will carry it. The 2008 eruption of Chaitén in Chile produced an ash
cloud that blew 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) across Patagonia to Argentina, reaching
both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. 
 
Volcanic ash deposits tend to be thicker and have larger particles closer to the
eruption site. As distance from the volcano increases, the deposit tends to thin out.
The 1994 double eruption of Vulcan and Tavurvur in Papua New Guinea covered the
nearby city of Rabaul in a layer of ash 75 centimeters (about 2 feet) deep, while
areas closer to the volcanoes were buried under 150-213 centimeters (5-7 feet) of
ash.   
 
In addition to shooting volcanic ash into the atmosphere, an explosive eruption can
create an avalanche of ash, volcanic gases, and rock, called a pyroclastic flow.
These incredibly fast avalanches of volcanic debris can be impossible for humans to
outrun. Pyroclastic flows are capable of razing buildings and uprooting trees.  
 
Volcanic Ash Impacts
 
Plumes of volcanic ash can spread over large areas of sky, turning daylight into
complete darkness and drastically reducing visibility. 
 
These enormous and menacing clouds are often accompanied
by thunder and lightning. Volcanic lightning is a unique phenomenon and scientists
continue to debate the way it works. Many scientists think that the sheer energy of a
volcanic explosion charges its ash particles with electricity. Positively charged
particles meet up with negatively charged particles, either in the cooler atmosphere
or in the volcanic debris itself. Lightning bolts then occur as a means of balancing
these charge distributions. 
 
Volcanic ash and gases can sometimes reach the stratosphere, the upper layer in
Earth’s atmosphere. This volcanic debris can reflect incoming solar
radiation and absorb outgoing land radiation, leading to a cooling of the
Earth’s temperature. 
 
In extreme cases, these “volcanic winters” can affect weather patterns across the
globe. The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, Indonesia, the largest eruption in
recorded history, ejected an estimated 150 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of
debris into the air. The average global temperature cooled by as much as 3° Celsius
(5.4° Fahrenheit), causing extreme weather around the world for a period of three
years. As a result of Mount Tambora’s volcanic ash, North America and Europe
experienced the “Year Without a Summer” in 1816. This year was characterized by
widespread crop failure, deadly famine, and disease. 
 
Airborne volcanic ash is especially dangerous to moving aircraft. The small, abrasive
particles of rock and glass can melt inside an airplane engine and solidify on
the turbine blades—causing the engine to stall. Air traffic controllers take
special precautions when volcanic ash is present. The 2010 eruption of
Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland, produced an ash cloud that forced the cancelation of roughly
100,000 flights and affected 7 million passengers, costing the aviation industry an
estimated $2.6 billion. 
 
Volcanic ash can impact the infrastructure of entire communities and regions. Ash
can enter and disrupt the functioning of machinery found in power supply, water
supply, sewage treatment, and communication facilities. Heavy ash fall can
also inhibit road and rail traffic and damage vehicles.  
 
When mixed with rainfall, volcanic ash turns into a heavy, cement-like sludge that is
able to collapse roofs. In 1991, Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines at the
same time that a massive tropical storm wreaked havoc in the area. Heavy rains
mixed with the ash fall, collapsing the roofs of houses, schools, businesses, and
hospitals in three different provinces.  
 
Ash also poses a threat to ecosystems, including people and animals. Carbon
dioxide and fluorine, gases that can be toxic to humans, can collect in volcanic ash.
The resulting ash fall can lead to crop failure, animal death and deformity, and
human illness. Ash’s abrasive particles can scratch the surface of the skin and eyes,
causing discomfort and inflammation. 
 
If inhaled, volcanic ash can cause breathing problems and damage the lungs.
Inhaling large amounts of ash and volcanic gases can cause a person to suffocate.
Suffocation is the most common cause of death from a volcano. 
 
Volcanic Ash Clean Up
 
Volcanic ash is very difficult to clean up. Its tiny, dust-sized particles can enter into
practically everything—from car engines, to office building air vents, to
personal computers. It can severely erode anything that it contacts, often causing
machinery to fail. 
 
When dry, ash can be blown by the wind, spreading into and polluting previously
unaffected areas. Meanwhile, wet ash binds to surfaces like cement and removing it
often means stripping away what is found underneath.  
 
Cleaning up volcanic ash is a costly and time-consuming procedure. Communities
must make coordinated efforts to dispose of ash while ensuring the safety of their
residents. The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens covered the city of Yakima,
Washington, in tons of volcanic ash. Declaring a state of emergency, Yakima
received donated maintenance equipment and workers, who were then dispatched
throughout the city in a grid pattern. Citizens also helped with a block-by-block
cleanup effort. Yakima removed 544,000 metric tons of ash and disposed of it
in landfills and local fairgrounds. The city even filled in a wasteland to create a new
city park. The process took seven around-the-clock days and cost the city $5.4
million, often cited as an efficient and cost-effective example of ash cleanup. 
 
Organizations such as the International Volcanic Health Hazard Network, the USGS
Volcano Hazards Program, and the Cities and Volcanoes Commission create
and disseminate information to the public about preparing for and cleaning up
volcanic ash fall. Their guidelines are used throughout the world by city and
town governments and by the citizens they serve.