Remobilisation & Coping With Long-Term Ash

Unless cleaned up and disposed of, continual ash remobilisation can lead to many weeks, months, or years, of recurring issues for the affected region. Both wind and water can transport ash to areas that were not impacted by the original eruption or can worsen previously impacted places.

Recent events in Iceland and Chile are a testament to these ongoing problems. For example, some farms in Chile after the 1991 Volcán Hudson eruption could not return to operation due to constant ash remobilization from wind within the region. This prevented whole communities returning to their properties for months and in some cases even years.