Volcanologists funded by the EU have studied the processes that control pyroclastic density currents, an important mechanism for introducing volcanic ash into the atmosphere.
The DFAM (Decompression and fragmentation of andesitic magmas during explosive events at open-vent volcanoes) project investigated the processes controlling the formation of pyroclastic density currents (PDCs).
Further details: It started with a big bang – volcanoes and pyroclastic density currents