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Lahar
Lahar is an Indonesian word for a rapidly flowing mixture of rock
debris and water that originates on the slopes of a volcano. Lahars
are also referred to as volcanic mudflows or debris flows. They form
in a variety of ways, chiefly from the rapid melting of snow and ice
by
pyroclastic flows,
intense rainfall on loose volcanic rock deposits, the breakout of a
lake dammed by volcanic deposits, and as a consequence of debris
avalanches.
Left: A lahar from the Unzen Volcano eruption in Kyushu,
Japan tore through this street in Shimabara, destroying cars and
homes in the process.
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