2023 Eruption of Mount Redcliff

The 2023 Eruption of Mount Redcliff was a volcanic eruption in Redcliff City, which was the first eruption of the volcano after over 173 years of inactivity. The eruption was the strongest eruption ever recorded of Mount Redcliff in Robloxian history as this eruption was classified as a VEI6, as well being the first VEI6 eruption to occur since the 2021 Eruption of Mount Amnoze in Robloxia. Eruptive activity began on September 30 with Vulcanian eruptions occurring at the top of Mount Redcliff. Activity persisted for the following months. In Early 2021, the intensity of the eruptions began to subside until mid-April when a series of phreatic eruptions began to take place; these eruptions began to become more violent and intense, and by the beginning of August, violent Vulcanian and phreatic eruptions were occurring at a fast rate with explosions occurring every one minute. Volcanic activity reached its first climax on August 25, with a massive Ultra-Plinian eruption taking place. This violent eruption resulted in massive pyroclastic flows descending from the slopes of the volcano and entering the sea, causing catastrophic tsunamis; the eruption resulted in the formation of a transient caldera. However, this did not mark the end of the eruption as an explosive activity with other Plinian eruptions, as well as Pelean eruptions occurred. One of these Pelean eruptions caused a pyroclastic flow that resulted in extreme destruction in Redcliff. Volcanic activity reached its last climax on Monday, March 27, 2023, at 12:32 local time. The eruption was a severe and serious one, causing an explosion that can be heard for miles and devastating land miles away from the volcano. Ash clouds were extended over 1,298 miles from the volcano.

Early Phase
Seismic activity began to increase by mid-August with tremors and earthquakes occurring at a depth of 173 kilometers. Earthquake activity continued to persist in the following days as the earthquakes were getting shallower and more frequent. By early September, fumarole activity became more evident as vegetation and animals on the slopes of Mount Redcliff began to die, and ground uplift began to occur. On September 4, while 17 groups of pony trekkers were hacking off the slopes of the volcano, 17 fumaroles opened below the hooves of the ponies, injuring 294, and killing 52 (the injury and death toll even included the ponies). The incident resulted in the closure of Mount Redcliff to the public as earthquake activity continued to become more intense and frequent. By September 11, earthquakes were occurring at the depth of only 87 kilometers as the alert levels were raised. On September 14, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurred, causing widespread panic and damage in the areas near the volcano, including Redcliff City. On September 20, an earthquake of similar strength struck, causing further damage; later that day, the alert was raised to the maximum as it was deemed that an eruption was imminent. On the same day, the country of Robloxia, the country where Mount Redcliff stands, issued an evacuation order. Mass evacuations were initiated. As evacuation underwent, earthquakes continued to occur at shallower depths in the following days. On September 28, a series of strong earthquakes occurred, with the strongest one being an 8.5 earthquake. On the morning of September 30, seismic activity suddenly ceased. While Robloxians thought that things settled down, for volcanologists, this was a big alarm bell as the magma, now blocked, was building up pressure. At 13:40 local time, the first Vulcanian eruption occurred, with a plume of ash rising to 87 kilometers in height.

Subsequent Activity
There was no subsequent activity after the climactic eruption that marked the end of the Vulcanian climactic phase. ￼

Aftermath:
After the eruption, many firetrucks, ambulances and also police vehicles are finding missing or injured Robloxians while extinguishing fires in destroyed buildings. To complicate things, fog and ash clouds started to mix; the resulting "fog" was super thick and dense that visibilities were reduced to one-quarter mile or less in Redcliff City. The Redcliff City collected their own data and came to the conclusion that 174 were injured and 62 were killed. The church was destroyed, including several houses near Mount Redcliff. Lava even affected Lake Redalia and its campsite, as well many adjacent power stations. The sewage system was nearly clogged as debris blocked the sewage canal system. Now all of the residents have no running water. Amid the mass evacuation order, many people evacuated inside their homes and moved to their bunkers. However, despite the mass evacuation order, just as many people stayed inside their homes and did not move to their bunkers due to the fact their home did not have one. As of April 1, 2023, ash is still falling. The skies are still covered by this "fog". Despite the fog, many emergency vehicles are still operating.