Ecuador’s ‘Throat of Fire’ Explodes Again, Locals Evacuate
Ecuador’s Tungurahua erupted again Saturday, ejecting large clouds ash and gasses into the air up to 3km above the volcano’s summit crater .
A fountain of lava erupted, spewing molten rocks to a height of about 2 km above the crater, Ecuador’s Geophysics Institute in Quito reported.
The authorities have evacuated residents from the slopes of Tungurahua soon after a rapid increase in its seismic activity was reported and the volcano started ejecting ash.
The snow-capped, 5,023-meter (16,478-foot) Tungurahua (“throat of fire” in the native Quechua language) erupted in 1999, forcing a year-long evacuation of the nearby city of Banos.
In May 2010 Tungurahua erupted again, forcing the evacuation of a dozen villages and closing down the airport in Guayaquil, the country’s largest city.
Previously, two major eruptions occurred in August 2006 and February 2008. The most significant historical eruptions were recorded in 1886, 1916, and 1918.
Tungurahua volcano near the city Banos south of Quito, Ecuador. A fountain of lava erupted, spewing molten rocks to about 2 km above the crater, the Geological Institute in Quito reported. Dec. 4, 2010. AFP Photo. Image may be subject to copyright. Click here for more images.
Snow-capped Tungurahua, photographed from near the town of Baños. Photo by Minard Hall, 1976 (Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito) via GVP.
Tungurahua is located about 135 kilometers (84 miles) south of Quito, the capital city of Ecuador (Group D – see map).
Collapse Survivors Note:
Volcanic explosions could play a major role as significant mechanisms of collapse and ultimately depopulation of the planet.
Map of Volcanoes. Background Map: University of Michigan. Designed and enhanced by Fire Earth Blog. Click image to enlarge.
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