Jump to content

Popocatépetl

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Deemery (talk | contribs) at 15:57, 17 April 2012 (→2012 Eruption: grammar correction: "its" not "it's"). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Popocatepetl
Popocatepetl from Amecameca (looking south-east)
Highest point
Elevation5,426 m (17,802 ft)[1]
Prominence3,020 m (9,910 ft)[2][3]
Ranked 89th
ListingUltra
Geography
RegionMX
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano
Last eruption2012 (ongoing)[4]
Climbing
Easiest routerock/snow climb

Popocatépetl is an active volcano located in the states of Puebla, Mexico (state), and Morelos, in Central Mexico, and lies in the eastern half of the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt. At 5,426 m (17,802 ft) it is the second highest peak in Mexico, after the Pico de Orizaba at 5,636 m (18,491 ft).

Popocatepetl is linked to the Iztaccihuatl volcano to the north by the high saddle known as the Paso de Cortés

Popocatepetl is 70 km (43 mi) southeast of Mexico City, from where it can be seen regularly, depending on atmospheric conditions. The residents of the city of Puebla, 40 km (25 mi) east of the volcano, can view the snowy and glacier-clad mountain almost all year. The volcano is also one of the three tall peaks in Mexico to contain glaciers, the others being Iztaccihuatl and Pico de Orizaba. Magma erupting from Popocatepetl is a mixture of dacite and basaltic andesite.

Toponymy

The name Popocatepetl comes from the Nahuatl words [popōca] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) 'it smokes' and [tepētl] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) 'mountain', meaning Smoking Mountain. The name Don Goyo comes from the mountain's association in the lore of the region with San Gregorio (St. Gregory), "Goyo" being a nickname-like short form of Gregorio.

Geology

The stratovolcano contains a steep-walled, 400 m × 600 m (1,300 ft × 2,000 ft) wide crater. The generally symmetrical volcano is modified by the sharp-peaked Ventorrillo on the NW, a remnant of an earlier volcano. At least three previous major cones were destroyed by gravitational failure during the Pleistocene, producing massive debris avalanche deposits covering broad areas south of the volcano. The modern volcano was constructed to the south of the late-Pleistocene to Holocene El Fraile cone.[4] Three major plinian eruptions, the most recent of which took place about 800 CE, have occurred from Popocatépetl since the mid Holocene, accompanied by pyroclastic flows and voluminous lahars that swept basins below the volcano.[5]

Popocatepetl is one of the most violent volcanoes in Mexico, having had more than 15 major eruptions since the arrival of the Spanish in 1519. A major eruption occurred in 1947 to begin this cycle of activity. Then, on December 21, 1994, the volcano spewed gas and ash which was carried as far as 25 km (16 mi) away by prevailing winds. The activity prompted the evacuation of nearby towns and scientists to begin monitoring for an eruption. In December 2000, tens of thousands of people were evacuated by the government based on the warnings of scientists. The volcano then made its largest display in 1,200 years.[6]

Popocatepetl sends a plume of volcanic ash south on January 23, 2001, with Iztaccíhuatl at right. View from the International Space Station.
Popocatépetl erupts, January 2004

According to paleomagnetic studies, the volcano is about 730,000 years old. Elevation 5,450 m (17,880 ft) in cone form with a diameter of 25 km (16 mi) at its base and the crater has an elliptical shape with an orientation northeast-southeast. the walls of the crater oscillate between 600 to 840 m (1,970 to 2,760 ft). Popocatépetl is currently active after being dormant for about half of last century. In 1991 the volcano's activity increased and since 1993 smoke can be seen constantly emanating from the crater.

There is a large record of the volcano's activity throughout antiquity. In 1927 an eruption was artificially triggered by the use of dynamite in the crater for sulfur extraction. The last violent eruption was registered in 2000. On December 25, 2005, the volcano's crater produced a new explosion which ejected a large column of smoke and ash about 3 km (1.9 mi) into the atmosphere and expulsion of lava.

In late January and February of 2012, scientists have been noticing Popocatepetl's action increasing. On January 25, 2012, an ash explosion occurred on the mountain causing much dust and ash to contaminate the atmosphere around it.[7]

History

The first Spanish ascent of the volcano was made by an expedition led by Diego de Ordaz in 1519. The early 16th-century monasteries on the slopes of the mountain are a World Heritage Site.

2012 Eruption

On the evening of April 16th, 2012, the Mexico's Center for Disaster Prevention announced that Popocatépetl was set to erupt, setting its alert level to Yellow Phase 3, the organization's third-highest level. The center warned that massive explosions were possible, with the risks of incendiary fragments and ash showers high.

See also

{{{inline}}}

References

  1. ^ Sources vary widely on the elevation of Popocatépetl, with most giving a value at or slightly above 5,400 m. The 5,426 m figure given here is from the Smithsonian Institute-Global Volcanism Program.
  2. ^ "Mexico Ultras" Peaklist.org. The prominence value given here of 3,020 m is based on a summit elevation of 5,400 m for Popocatépetl. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  3. ^ "Volcán Popocatépetl, Mexico" The prominence value given here of 3,020 m is interpolated from a summit elevation of 5,400 m for Popocatépetl. Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  4. ^ a b "Popocatépetl". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  5. ^ "Popocatépetl - Eruptive History". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  6. ^ USGS, 2000-12-21. Residents on slopes of Popocatepetl Volcano heed evacuation notice. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  7. ^ VolcanoDiscovery.com. Volcano news: Popocatepetl Volcano (Mexico).

Additional reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Popocatépetl.


Template:Link GA

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Popocatépetl&oldid=487850663"