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Glite Dictionary
ashfall

ashfall

6.7
A layer of ash that falls from the air and covers the ground, often after a volcano erupts
  • noun
  • /ˈæʃˌfɔl/
translation icon : caída de ceniza
  • Dozens of ashfall events were produced by Cook Inlet volcanoes in the 20th century, most of which were a few millimeters or less in thickness (Alaska Geographic, 1991; DNR (n7)).

Examples

  • Potential hazards other than flooding are: debris avalanches, mudflows, lava flows, hot gas surges, and ashfall.

    Academic text (2000)

  • On many parts of the island, ash smothered all vegetation; the weight of the ashfall stripped limbs from trees and toppled smaller plants, such as banana and heliconia.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Ashfall, pyroclastic flows, lahars, and incandescent material affected roughly 650,000 people in Tungurahua and Chimborazo provinces.

    Academic text (2017)

  • After the eruption, the landscape was covered in a thick layer of ashfall that made it difficult to see.

  • The ashfall from the volcano blanketed the nearby town, affecting air quality and visibility.

  • Residents were advised to stay indoors due to the harmful effects of the recent ashfall following the volcanic eruption.

Synonyms

ash
vsashfall
339 1.0

The gray powder left after something burns

falls from the air and forms a layer after eruptions or big fires

How Much Ash

blanket
96 2.8
ashfall
6.7
deposit
  • Specialized
78 3.5
trace
492 3.3

Surface Forms

ashfall singular
ashfalls plural

Morphology

ashfall = ash + fall (transparent) = ash + fall

The meaning is a straightforward compound of 'ash' + 'fall' meaning ash that falls or a fall/deposit of ash.

Etymology

Ashfall is a clear compound: ash is the grey powder left after a fire or a volcano, and fall means 'to fall down', so an ashfall is ash that falls from the sky and makes a layer on the ground.