Pyroclastic density currents at Volcán de Colima

In the last ~500 years, Volcán de Colima has generated numerous small-volume pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) that have been associated with dome emplacement, either by a partial collapse or by their explosive destruction. Large PDCs were generated by eruption column collapse in 1690, 1818, and 1913. The 1913 eruption generated pyroclastic density currents with maximum runouts of 15 km. The small PDCs that occurred in 1991, 1994, 1998–1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2013–2015 have been extensively videoed and photographed, and their deposits have been widely studied. In this chapter, events that have generated PDCs during the past 200 years are summarized. Special attention is given to the generation of small pyroclastic density currents between 1991 and 2005. We provide new, relevant information regarding the development of eruptive episodes, stratigraphy, textural characteristics, and granulometric-component variations of the deposits, as well as inundation areas, mobility (H/L), volumes, and runouts. New observations allow us to understand the effects of topography, fragmentation processes, and better define some of the volumes, which will improve the understanding of the mechanisms of transport and deposition of these types of pyroclastic density currents.