Based on a SIGMET notice from the Bogota MWO, the Washington VAAC reported that on 18 and 19 December ash plumes from Nevado del Ruiz rose to altitudes of 7.9 and 9.1 km (26,000 and 30,000 ft) a.s.l., respectively. The plumes drifted SSW. A faint thermal anomaly was detected between cloud cover.

Geological Summary. Nevado del Ruiz is a broad, glacier-covered volcano in central Colombia that covers more than 200 km2. Three major edifices, composed of andesitic and dacitic lavas and andesitic pyroclastics, have been constructed since the beginning of the Pleistocene. The modern cone consists of a broad cluster of lava domes built within the caldera of an older edifice. The 1-km-wide, 240-m-deep Arenas crater occupies the summit. The prominent La Olleta pyroclastic cone located on the SW flank may also have been active in historical time. Steep headwalls of massive landslides cut the flanks. Melting of its summit icecap during historical eruptions, which date back to the 16th century, has resulted in devastating lahars, including one in 1985 that was South America's deadliest eruption.

Source: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)