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Colima

Stratovolcano · Mexico · 3850m

The Colima volcanic complex consists of the massive overlapping edifices Nevado de Colima (the highest point of the complex to the right) and Volcán de Colima (left). Volcán de Colima was constructed within a 5-km-wide caldera that opens to the south and has been the source of large debris avalanches. Frequent historical eruptions have included dome growth, explosive activity, pyroclastic flows, and lava flows.
The Colima volcanic complex consists of the massive overlapping edifices Nevado de Colima (the highest point of the complex to the right) and Volcán de Colima (left). Volcán de Colima was constructed within a 5-km-wide caldera that opens to the south and has been the source of large debris avalanches. Frequent historical eruptions have included dome growth, explosive activity, pyroclastic flows, and lava flows. · Photo: Photo by James Allan, 1981 (Smithsonian Institution). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Mexico
Region
Middle America-Caribbean Volcanic Regions / Trans-Mexican Volcanic Arc
Elevation
3850m
Coordinates
19.514, -103.620
Last eruption
2019
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Geological summary

The Colima complex is the most prominent volcanic center of the western Mexican Volcanic Belt. It consists of two southward-younging volcanoes, Nevado de Colima (the high point of the complex) on the north and the historically active Volcán de Colima at the south. A group of late-Pleistocene cinder cones is located on the floor of the Colima graben west and east of the complex. Volcán de Colima (also known as Volcán Fuego) is a youthful stratovolcano constructed within a 5-km-wide scarp, breached to the south, that has been the source of large debris avalanches. Major slope failures have occurred repeatedly from both the Nevado and Colima cones, producing thick debris-avalanche deposits on three sides of the complex. Frequent recorded eruptions date back to the 16th century. Occasional major explosive eruptions have destroyed the summit (most recently in 1913) and left a deep, steep-sided crater that was slowly refilled and then overtopped by lava dome growth.

From Wikipedia

The Volcán de Colima, 4,260 m (13,980 ft), also known as Volcán de Fuego, is part of the Colima Volcanic Complex (CVC) consisting of Volcán de Colima, Nevado de Colima and the eroded El Cántaro. It is the youngest of the three and as of 2015 is one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico and in North America. Having been active for nearly 5 million years, and with frequent eruptions, the Volcán de Colima is considered a stratovolcano. "Volcán de Fuego is an active stratovolcano, the most explosive and dangerous of all of Mexico". It has erupted more than 40 times since 1576. One of the largest eruptions was on January 20–24, 1913. Nevado de Colima, also known as Tzapotépetl, lies 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of its more active neighbor and is the taller of the two at 4,271 meters. It is the 25th-most prominent peak in North America.

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Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
7690 BCE~7366 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?6395 BCE~6072 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?6072 BCE~5748 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?5101 BCE~4777 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?4777 BCE~4454 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?4454 BCE~4130 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?4130 BCE~3806 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?3806 BCE~3483 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?3483 BCE~3159 BCE · 3 eruptions · max VEI ?3159 BCE~2835 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?2835 BCE~2512 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?2512 BCE~2188 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 42188 BCE~1865 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?1541 BCE~1217 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?1217 BCE~894 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?894 BCE~570 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?401~724 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?724~1048 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1048~1372 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1372~1695 · 10 eruptions · max VEI 41695~2019 · 49 eruptions · max VEI 47690 BCE5425 BCE2835 BCE570 BCE1695

Detailed timeline

  1. 2019VEI 1Observed
    2019-05-11 – 2019-07-12
  2. 2013VEI 3Observed
    2013-01-06 – 2017-03-07
    Summit crater
  3. 1997VEI 3Observed
    1997-11-22 – 2011-06-21
    1994 crater
  4. 1994VEI 1Observed
    1994-07-21 – 1994-07-21
    West of 1987 explosion crater
  5. 1991VEI 2Observed
    1991-03-01 – 1991-10-16
  6. 1988VEI 2Geological estimate
    1988-06-15 – Ongoing
  7. 1987VEI 1Observed
    1987-07-02 – 1987-07-02
    East side of summit lava dome
  8. 1985VEI 1Observed
    1985-07-02 – 1986-01-05
  9. 1983VEI 1Geological estimate
    1983-02-11 – 1983-02-15
  10. 1977VEI 1Observed
    1977-12-16 – 1982-06-16
  11. 1975VEI 2Observed
    1975-12-11 – 1976-06-20
  12. 1973VEI 1Geological estimate
    1973-01-30 – Ongoing
  13. 1963VEI 1Observed
    1963-07-02 – 1970-07-02
  14. 1961VEI 1Observed
    1961-07-02 – 1962-12-01
  15. 1957VEI 1Observed
    1957-05-14 – 1960-07-02
  16. 1941VEI 3Geological estimate
    1941-04-15 – Ongoing
  17. 1926 (±4 yrs)VEI 1Observed
    1926 – 1931
  18. 1913VEI 4Observed
    1913-01-17 – 1913-01-24
  19. 1908VEI 3Observed
    1908-12-18 – 1909-07-01
  20. 1904VEI 1Observed
    1904 – 1906
  21. 1903VEI 3Observed
    1903-02-15 – 1903-10-30
  22. 1893VEI 2Observed
    1893-12-04 – 1902
  23. 1891VEI 2Observed
    1891-07 – 1892-06
  24. 1890VEI 2Observed
    1890-11-18 – Ongoing
  25. 1889VEI 4Observed
    1889-08-09 – 1890-02-16
  26. 1887VEI 0Observed
    1887 – Ongoing
  27. 1885VEI 3Observed
    1885-12-26 – 1886-10
  28. 1882VEI 1Observed
    1882 – 1884
  29. 1880VEI 2Observed
    1880-12-01 – 1881-04-12
  30. 1879VEI 1Observed
    1879-12-23 – 1880-04-30
    Summit vent and SW flank
  31. 1875VEI 1Observed
    1875 – 1878
    NE flank (El Volcancito)
  32. 1874VEI 1Observed
    1874-06-12 – Ongoing
    NE flank (El Volcancito)
  33. 1872VEI 3Observed
    1872-02-26 – 1873-03-27
    El Volcancito and main crater
  34. 1870VEI 0Observed
    1870 – 1871
    NE flank (El Volcancito)
  35. 1869VEI 3Observed
    1869-06-12 – 1869-08-24
    NE flank (El Volcancito)
  36. 1819VEI 1Observed
    1819 – Ongoing
  37. 1818VEI 4Observed
    1818-02-15 – 1818-02-16
  38. 1806VEI 2Observed
    1806 – 1809
  39. 1804VEI 2Observed
    1804 – Ongoing
  40. 1795VEI 2Observed
    1795-03 – 1795-09
  41. 1794VEI 2Observed
    1794-08 – Ongoing
  42. 1780VEI 2Observed
    1780-11-26 – Ongoing
  43. 1771VEI 3Observed
    1771 – Ongoing
  44. 1770VEI 3Observed
    1770-03-10 – 1770-03-12
  45. 1769VEI 2Observed
    1769 – Ongoing
  46. 1749VEI 2Geological estimate
    1749 – Ongoing
  47. 1744VEI 2Observed
    1744 – Ongoing
  48. 1743VEI 2Observed
    1743-10-22 – Ongoing
  49. 1711VEI 3Observed
    1711 – Ongoing
  50. 1690VEI 3Observed
    1690 – Ongoing
  51. 1622VEI 4Observed
    1622-06-08 – 1622-06-09
  52. 1611VEI 3Observed
    1611-04-15 – 1613
  53. 1606VEI 4Observed
    1606-11-25 – 1606-12-13
  54. 1602VEI 2Geological estimate
    1602 – Ongoing
  55. 1590VEI 3Observed
    1590-01-14 – 1590-01-15
  56. 1585VEI 4Observed
    1585-01-10 – Ongoing
  57. 1576VEI 3Observed
    1576 – Ongoing
  58. 1560VEI 2Observed
    1560 – Ongoing
  59. 1519VEI 3Observed
    1519 – 1523
  60. 1110 (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1110 – Ongoing
  61. 730 (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    730 – Ongoing
  62. 540 (±150 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    540 – Ongoing
  63. 650 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 650 – Ongoing
  64. 1140 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 1140 – Ongoing
  65. 1170 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 1170 – Ongoing
  66. 1320 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 1320 – Ongoing
  67. 1450 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 1450 – Ongoing
  68. 1890 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 1890 – Ongoing
  69. 1940 BCE (±300 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 1940 – Ongoing
  70. 2370 BCE (±150 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    BCE 2370 – Ongoing
  71. 2800 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 2800 – Ongoing
  72. 3030 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 3030 – Ongoing
  73. 3180 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 3180 – Ongoing
  74. 3270 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 3270 – Ongoing
  75. 3350 BCE (±300 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 3350 – Ongoing
  76. 3510 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 3510 – Ongoing
  77. 3600 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 3600 – Ongoing
  78. 4110 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 4110 – Ongoing
  79. 4430 BCE (±300 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 4430 – Ongoing
  80. 4500 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 4500 – Ongoing
  81. 4960 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 4960 – Ongoing
  82. 5880 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 5880 – Ongoing
  83. 6320 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 6320 – Ongoing
  84. 7420 BCE (±500 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 7420 – Ongoing
  85. 7690 BCE (±500 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 7690 – Ongoing

External links

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