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Citlaltepetl

Orizaba, Pico de

Stratovolcano · Mexico · 5564m

Pico de Orizaba (Volcán Citlaltépetl) rises 4,500 m above the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain. Its summit contained a 500-m-wide crater that was 300 m deep at the time of this 1997 photo. It is seen here from the NNE with the Jamapa glacier to the right above the NW-flank peak of Sarcofago (right center). The present summit cone was constructed during the Holocene, overtopping previously collapsed edifices.
Pico de Orizaba (Volcán Citlaltépetl) rises 4,500 m above the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain. Its summit contained a 500-m-wide crater that was 300 m deep at the time of this 1997 photo. It is seen here from the NNE with the Jamapa glacier to the right above the NW-flank peak of Sarcofago (right center). The present summit cone was constructed during the Holocene, overtopping previously collapsed edifices. · Photo: Photo by Gerardo Carrasco-Núñez, 1997 (Universidad Autónoma Nacional de México). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Mexico
Region
Middle America-Caribbean Volcanic Regions / Trans-Mexican Volcanic Arc
Elevation
5564m
Coordinates
19.030, -97.270
Last eruption
1846
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Geological summary

Pico de Orizaba (Volcán Citlaltépetl), México's highest peak and North America's highest volcano, lies at the southern end of a volcanic chain extending north to Cofre de Perote volcano, east of the Serdan-Oriental Basin. The edifice was formed in three stages beginning during the mid-Pleistocene. Construction of the initial Torrecillas and Espolón de Oro volcanoes was contemporaneous with growth of Sierra Negra volcano on the SW flank, and was followed by edifice collapses that produced voluminous debris avalanches and lahars. The modern volcano was constructed during the late Pleistocene and Holocene of viscous andesitic and dacitic lavas, forming the current steep-sided cone. Repetitive explosive eruptions beginning during the early Holocene accompanied lava dome growth and lava effusion. Recorded eruptions have consisted of moderate explosive activity and the effusion of dacitic lava flows. The last known observations of activity were in 1846 CE.

From Wikipedia

Citlaltépetl, otherwise known as Pico de Orizaba, is an active volcano and the highest volcano in North America, as well as the highest mountain in Mexico and third highest peak in North America, after Denali/Mount McKinley of the United States and Mount Logan of Canada. It rises 5,636 metres (18,491 ft) above sea level in the eastern end of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, on the border between the states of Veracruz and Puebla. The volcano is currently dormant but not extinct, with the last eruption taking place during the 19th century. It is the second most prominent volcanic peak in the world after Mount Kilimanjaro. Pico de Orizaba is ranked 16th by topographic isolation.

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Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
7530 BCE~7217 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?7217 BCE~6905 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 46905 BCE~6592 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 56280 BCE~5967 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 34717 BCE~4405 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 32842 BCE~2529 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 32529 BCE~2217 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI 42217 BCE~1904 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 31592 BCE~1279 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 3967 BCE~654 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 329 BCE~283 · 4 eruptions · max VEI 3908~1221 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 31221~1533 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 31533~1846 · 6 eruptions · max VEI 27530 BCE5342 BCE2842 BCE654 BCE1533

Detailed timeline

  1. 1846VEI 2Observed
    1846 – Ongoing
  2. 1687VEI 2Observed
    1687 – Ongoing
  3. 1613VEI 0Observed
    1613 – Ongoing
  4. 1569VEI 2Observed
    1569 – 1589
  5. 1566VEI 2Observed
    1566 – Ongoing
  6. 1545VEI 2Observed
    1545 – 1555
  7. 1533VEI 2Geological estimate
    1533 – 1539
  8. 1351VEI 2Geological estimate
    1351 – Ongoing
  9. 1260 (±50 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    1260 – Ongoing
  10. 1187VEI 2Geological estimate
    1187 – Ongoing
  11. 1175VEI 3Geological estimate
    1175 – Ongoing
  12. 1157VEI 2Geological estimate
    1157 – Ongoing
  13. 220 (±75 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    220 – Ongoing
  14. 140 (±50 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    140 – Ongoing
  15. 90 (±40 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    90 – Ongoing
  16. 40 (±40 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    40 – Ongoing
  17. 780 BCE (±60 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    BCE 780 – Ongoing
  18. 1500 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    BCE 1500 – Ongoing
  19. 2110 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    BCE 2110 – Ongoing
  20. 2300 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    BCE 2300 – Ongoing
  21. 2500 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    BCE 2500 – Ongoing
  22. 2780 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    BCE 2780 – Ongoing
  23. 4690 BCE (±300 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    BCE 4690 – Ongoing
  24. 6220 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    BCE 6220 – Ongoing
  25. 6710 BCE (±150 yrs)VEI 5Geological estimate
    BCE 6710 – Ongoing
  26. 7030 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    BCE 7030 – Ongoing
  27. 7530 BCE (±40 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 7530 – Ongoing

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.