General understanding
Circle T for true or F for false for each of the following statements.
1. The people of Armero were expecting the volcano to erupt. T / F
2. Volcanoes and earthquakes have similar causes. T / F
3. Scientists knew that Nevado del Ruiz was active. T / F
4. The people of Armero were killed by fires and lava. T / F
In detail
Write short answers to the following questions.
1. How high is Nevado del Ruiz? 5,389 metres high.
2. When had Nevado del Ruiz erupted before 1985? In 1845.
3. What was the population of Armero in 1985? Almost 30,000.
4. How much lava exploded from the volcano? 20 million cubic metres.
5. How fast did the rivers of mud travel towards Armero? 50 kilometres an hour.
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In focus
Below are some sentences about the disaster in Armero. Can you match the two parts of each sentences?
1. The people of Armero didn’t believe c
2. Geologists noticed vocanic activity a
3. The eruption e
4. The rivers around the volcano b
5. Armero was buried in mud d
a. …but their warnings were ignored.
b. …became moving walls of mud.
c. …that they were in danger.
d. …and more than 23,000 people were killed.
e. …melted snow and ice on the summit of the volcano.