COMPUTER MODELING AS TOOL FOR VOLCANIC HAZARDS ASSESSMENT: AN EXAMPLE OF PYROCLASTIC FLOW MODELING AT EL MISTI VOLCANO, SOUTHERN PERU

Robert CONSTANTINESCU, Jean-Claude THOURET, Ioan-Aurel IRIMUŞ

ABSTRACT: Volcanic eruptions pose a threat to people that live around active volcanoes. Volcanic phenomena such as lava flows, debris flows, pyroclastic density currents and ash fall can affect everyone in the proximity of the volcano as well as in distant areas. The necessity of having a better understanding of volcanic phenomena and therefore to improve the delineation of hazard maps, has led scientists to develop different methods to assess volcanic hazards, including the creation of several computer codes that can simulate different volcanic phenomena. In this paper, we present an overview of several computers codes, with a particular emphasis on those used for pyroclastic flow hazard assessment and modeling. We include an example of the application of Titan2D software on El Misti volcano; an active Quaternary stratovolcano in Southern Peru that represents a threat to the ~ 1,000,000 people living in and around the city of Arequipa.

Keywords: Volcanic hazards, computer models, pyroclastic flows hazard assessment, Titan2D .

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