Landslide Photo Collections

Searchable USGS Photo and Multimedia Archive with Ordering Information

As a result of the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia in 1985, the lahar debris flowed into the Lagunillas River Valley, and there were 23,000 deaths in the city of Armero, as hazard warnings were not passed on to the population.

  • Remains of the city of Armero, Colombia, following the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz, which triggered debris/mud flows (lahars) that overwhelmed the city of 29,000. Photo by Steve Raymer, courtesy National Geographic magazine.
    1985armerone...
  • A young woman is rescued from a mudflow that buried the town of Armero, Colombia, following the eruption of Mount Ruiz on November 13, 1985.
    1985armeroco...
  • Armero, Colombia, destroyed by lahar on November 13, 1985.More than 23,000 people were killed in Armero when lahars (volcanic debris flows) swept down from the erupting Nevado del Ruiz volcano.
    1985armerola...
  • The Upper Lagunillas valley, close to the summit of Nevado del Ruiz. The Lagunillas valley carried the deadly lahars to Armero. The walls and floor of the valley were scoured and eroded to produce a steep sided canyon. Secondary landslides and rock falls may be observed on the flanks of the over steepened valley. Photo by L.J. Donnelly.
    nevadodelrui...

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