DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

LAHAR
BY:
JERELYN V. TECSON
 DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

WHAT IS LAHAR?

A violent mudflow composed

of volcanic debris and water.
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

How do Lahars
form?
Triggered by heavy rainfall,
volcanic eruptions, or glacial
melt.
Can travel long distances at
high speeds, devastating
everything in its path.

Courtesy: VectorMine
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF LAHAR?

The two types of lahar are:

PRIMARY: Primary lahars occur during a volcanic eruption.

SECONDARY: Secondary lahars occur after an eruption during periods of inactivity.

For example, heavy rainfalls can trigger a secondary lahar with little warning.
LAHARS OF MOUNT PINATUBO,
PHILIPPINES

On June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo

in the Philippines erupted in the
second largest volcanic eruption
on Earth this century. This
eruption deposited more than 1
cubic mile (5 cubic kilometers)
of volcanic ash and rock
fragments on the volcano's
slopes. Within hours, heavy rains
began to wash this material
down into the surrounding
lowlands in giant, fast-moving
mudflows called lahars. In the
next four rainy seasons, lahars
carried about half of the deposits
off the volcano, causing even
more destruction in the lowlands
than the eruption itself.
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY
 DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

Video source: UWI RSEISMIC RESEARCH

 DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

Schematic representation of the four basic strategies to reduce lahar-hazard risk within lahar hazard zones

Source: (Lahar: Flowing Mud at Volcanoes, 2019)

 DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

REFERENCES:
Lahar: Flowing Mud at Volcanoes. (2019, July 26). Earth How.
https://earthhow.com/lahar/
Lahars: The Hazard (VolFilm). (2019). [YouTube Video]. In YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJriWzxBa_Q