1. Station #7: At this station you will:
Describe when magma is considered pyroclastic material
Describe pyroclastic flows and the dangers
Watch a clip from Dante’s Peak and determine something realistic and dramatized in the movie

2. Magma and Pyroclastic Material
Magma will be considered pyroclastic material if it is blasted into the air and hardens.
** Explosive eruptions produce mostly pyroclastic material **
Four types of pyroclastic material:
Volcanic Bombs
(Large magma blobs)
Volcanic Blocks
(Large pieces of solid rock)
Lapilli
(“Little rocks”)
Volcanic ash
(Majority of material
caused by rapid expansion of gas)

3. Pyroclastic Flow
Pyroclastic flow is particularly dangerous because it can travel faster than hurricane force winds!
Pyroclastic flows are produced when enormous amounts of hot ash, dust, and gases are ejected from a volcano.
Above: Pyroclastic flow of the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines