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Cotopaxi volcano

Cotopaxi

Stratovolcano · Ecuador · 5911m

Symmetrical Cotopaxi is one of the most prominent volcanoes that line both sides of the Interandean valley along Ecuador's "Avenue of Volcanoes." Cotopaxi, one of Ecuador's most active volcanoes, has produced more than 50 eruptions since the 16th century. Glaciers cover the upper part of the cone from 4700 m altitude on the west flank, seen here, to the 5911-m-high summit. Devastating lahars in historical time swept this valley before turning south and then east into the Amazon basin. Lahars to the NW reached the Pacific Ocean.
Symmetrical Cotopaxi is one of the most prominent volcanoes that line both sides of the Interandean valley along Ecuador's "Avenue of Volcanoes." Cotopaxi, one of Ecuador's most active volcanoes, has produced more than 50 eruptions since the 16th century. Glaciers cover the upper part of the cone from 4700 m altitude on the west flank, seen here, to the 5911-m-high summit. Devastating lahars in historical time swept this valley before turning south and then east into the Amazon basin. Lahars to the NW reached the Pacific Ocean. · Photo: Photo by Lee Siebert, 1978 (Smithsonian Institution). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Ecuador
Region
South America Volcanic Regions / Northern Andean Volcanic Arc
Elevation
5911m
Coordinates
-0.677, -78.436
Last eruption
2023
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Geological summary

The symmetrical, glacier-covered, Cotopaxi stratovolcano is Ecuador's most well-known volcano and one of its most active. The steep-sided cone is capped by nested summit craters, the largest of which is about 550 x 800 m in diameter. Deep valleys scoured by lahars radiate from the summit of the andesitic volcano, and large andesitic lava flows extend to its base. The modern edifice has been constructed since a major collapse sometime prior to about 5,000 years ago. Pyroclastic flows (often confused in historical accounts with lava flows) have accompanied many explosive eruptions, and lahars have frequently devastated adjacent valleys. Strong eruptions took place in 1744, 1768, and 1877. Pyroclastic flows descended all sides of the volcano in 1877, and lahars traveled more than 100 km into the Pacific Ocean and western Amazon basin. Smaller eruptions have been frequent since that time.

From Wikipedia

Cotopaxi is an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located in Cotopaxi National Park in Cotopaxi Province, about 50 km (31.1 mi) south of Quito, and 31 km (19 mi) northeast of the city of Latacunga, Ecuador. It is the second highest summit in Ecuador, reaching a height of 5,897 m (19,347 ft). Cotopaxi is among the highest active volcanoes in the world.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
7690 BCE~7366 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 26071 BCE~5748 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 54453 BCE~4129 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 54129 BCE~3805 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 53481 BCE~3158 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 52834 BCE~2510 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 52510 BCE~2187 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?2187 BCE~1863 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 51539 BCE~1215 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1215 BCE~892 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 4568 BCE~244 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 4244 BCE~80 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 480~403 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 4403~727 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?727~1051 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 41051~1375 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 51375~1698 · 4 eruptions · max VEI 41698~2022 · 57 eruptions · max VEI 47690 BCE5424 BCE2834 BCE568 BCE1698

Detailed timeline

  1. 2022VEI 2Observed
    2022-10-21 – 2023-07-06
    Summit crater
  2. 2015VEI 2Observed
    2015-08-14 – 2016-01-24
    Summit crater
  3. 1942VEI 3Geological estimate
    1942-02-17 – 1942-02-19
  4. 1940VEI 2Observed
    1940 – Ongoing
  5. 1939VEI 2Observed
    1939-02-02 – Ongoing
  6. 1931VEI 2Observed
    1931 – Ongoing
  7. 1926VEI 2Observed
    1926 – Ongoing
  8. 1922VEI 2Observed
    1922 – Ongoing
  9. 1908VEI 1Observed
    1908 – 1914
  10. 1907VEI 2Observed
    1907-06 – Ongoing
  11. 1906VEI 2Observed
    1906-08-21 – 1906-09-19
  12. 1905VEI 2Observed
    1905 – Ongoing
  13. 1903VEI 3Observed
    1903-09-26 – 1904-12
  14. 1895VEI 2Observed
    1895 – Ongoing
  15. 1886VEI 2Observed
    1886-01 – Ongoing
  16. 1885VEI 2Observed
    1885-07-23 – Ongoing
  17. 1883VEI 2Observed
    1883-08 – Ongoing
  18. 1883VEI 2Observed
    1883-12 – Ongoing
  19. 1882VEI 2Observed
    1882-01 – 1882-03
  20. 1880VEI 3Observed
    1880-02 – 1880-07
  21. 1879VEI 2Observed
    1879-02-26 – 1879-06-19
  22. 1878VEI 2Observed
    1878-08-23 – 1878-08-24
  23. 1877VEI 4Observed
    1877-01 – 1877-09-02
  24. 1870VEI 2Observed
    1870 – 1876
  25. 1869VEI 3Observed
    1869-07 – 1869-08
  26. 1868VEI 2Observed
    1868-08-15 – 1868-08-16
  27. 1867VEI 2Observed
    1867 – Ongoing
  28. 1866VEI 2Observed
    1866-09-21 – 1866-09-26
  29. 1863VEI 2Observed
    1863 – Ongoing
  30. 1860VEI 2Observed
    1860 – 1862
  31. 1859VEI 2Observed
    1859 – Ongoing
  32. 1858VEI 2Observed
    1858-11 – 1858-12
  33. 1857VEI 2Observed
    1857 – Ongoing
  34. 1856VEI 2Observed
    1856-05 – Ongoing
  35. 1856VEI 2Observed
    1856-10 – 1856-12
  36. 1855VEI 2Observed
    1855-11 – Ongoing
  37. 1854VEI 2Observed
    1854-04-03 – Ongoing
  38. 1854VEI 2Observed
    1854-09-14 – Ongoing
  39. 1853VEI 3Observed
    1853-09-13 – 1853-09-15
  40. 1852VEI 2Observed
    1852 – Ongoing
  41. 1851VEI 2Observed
    1851-06 – Ongoing
  42. 1850VEI 2Observed
    1850 – Ongoing
  43. 1845VEI 2Observed
    1845-04 – Ongoing
  44. 1844VEI 2Observed
    1844 – Ongoing
  45. 1803VEI 3Observed
    1803-01-04 – 1803-01-05
  46. 1768VEI 4Observed
    1768-04-04 – Ongoing
  47. 1766VEI 3Observed
    1766-02-10 – 1766-12
  48. 1750VEI 2Observed
    1750-09-02 – 1750-09-04
  49. 1747VEI 2Observed
    1747 – 1749
  50. 1746VEI 2Observed
    1746-02 – Ongoing
  51. 1744VEI 4Observed
    1744-05 – 1744-12
  52. 1743VEI 3Observed
    1743-04 – Ongoing
  53. 1743VEI 2Observed
    1743-09-27 – 1743-10-04
  54. 1742VEI 3Observed
    1742-06-15 – 1742-07
  55. 1742VEI 3Observed
    1742-12-09 – Ongoing
  56. 1740VEI 2Observed
    1740 – 1741
  57. 1738VEI 2Observed
    1738 – Ongoing
  58. 1698VEI 3Observed
    1698 – Ongoing
  59. 1534VEI 4Observed
    1534-06 – 1534-07
  60. 1533VEI 2Observed
    1533-10 – 1533-11
  61. 1532VEI 4Observed
    1532-11-15 – Ongoing
  62. 1350VEI 4Geological estimate
    1350 – Ongoing
  63. 1260 (±150 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1260 – Ongoing
  64. 1130 (±75 yrs)VEI 5Geological estimate
    1130 – Ongoing
  65. 950VEI 3Geological estimate
    950 – Ongoing
  66. 770 (±75 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    770 – Ongoing
  67. 740 (±75 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    740 – Ongoing
  68. 550 (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    550 – Ongoing
  69. 370 (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    370 – Ongoing
  70. 180 (±100 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    180 – Ongoing
  71. 150VEI 4Geological estimate
    150 – Ongoing
  72. 70 (±150 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    70 – Ongoing
  73. 50 BCEVEI 3Geological estimate
    BCE 50 – Ongoing
  74. 230 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    BCE 230 – Ongoing
  75. 400 BCEVEI 4Geological estimate
    BCE 400 – Ongoing
  76. 1050 BCEVEI 4Geological estimate
    BCE 1050 – Ongoing
  77. 1510 BCE (±150 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 1510 – Ongoing
  78. 2050 BCEVEI 5Geological estimate
    BCE 2050 – Ongoing
  79. 2220 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 2220 – Ongoing
  80. 2250 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 2250 – Ongoing
  81. 2640 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI 5Geological estimate
    BCE 2640 – Ongoing
  82. 3280 BCE (±500 yrs)VEI 5Geological estimate
    BCE 3280 – Ongoing
  83. 3880 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI 5Geological estimate
    BCE 3880 – Ongoing
  84. 4350 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI 5Geological estimate
    BCE 4350 – Ongoing
  85. 5820 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI 5Geological estimate
    BCE 5820 – Ongoing
  86. 7690 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    BCE 7690 – Ongoing

External links

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