Quilotoa () is a water-filled crater lake and the most western

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

in the

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

ian

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

. The -wide

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...

was formed by the collapse of this

dacite Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite. ...

volcano following a catastrophic VEI-6 eruption about 800 years ago, which produced

pyroclastic flow A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic density current or a pyroclastic cloud) is a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that flows along the ground away from a volcano at average speeds of b ...

s and

lahar A lahar (, from ) is a violent type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of Pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic material, rocky debris and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a valley, river valley. Lahars are o ...

s that reached the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, and spread an airborne deposit of

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, produced during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to r ...

throughout the northern Andes. This last eruption followed a dormancy period of 14,000 years and is known as the 1280

Plinian eruption Plinian eruptions or Vesuvian eruptions are volcanic eruptions characterized by their similarity to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, which destroyed the ancient Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. The eruption was described in a le ...

. The fourth (of seven) eruptive phase was phreatomagmatic, indicating that a Crater lake was already present at that time. The caldera has since accumulated a crater lake, which has a greenish color as a result of dissolved minerals.

Fumarole A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or another rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcani ...

s are found on the lake floor and hot springs occur on the eastern flank of the volcano. Quilotoa is a site of growing popularity. The route to the "summit" (the small town of Quilotoa) is generally traveled by hired truck or bus from the town of Zumbahua to the South, or more commonly by bus from

Latacunga Latacunga (; Quechua: Latakunga) is a plateau city of Ecuador, capital of the Cotopaxi Province, south of Quito, near the confluence of the Alaquez and Cutuchi rivers to form the Patate, the headstream of the Pastaza. At the time of census ...

. Visitors have to pay two US dollars each to enter Quilotoa. There are a number of simple

hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

s in the immediate area offering services such as mules and guides. Activities include a four to five-hour hike around the caldera (whose diameter is just over ). The caldera rim is highly irregular and reaches its maximum elevations to the N, to the NW and to the SE, at three lava domes. The hike is sandy and steep in places and can be quite taxing, particularly if there is fog. Quilotoa Ecuador Hike

It is a half-hour hike down from the viewpoint (and 1- to 2-hour hike back up the vertical ascent), and very basic lodging down in its bowl. Camping is permitted at the bottom of the crater, but there is no potable water (except half-litre bottles sold at the hostel)Viva Quilotoa Travel Guide site visit Jan 31, 2009
/ref> The lake surface is located at asl. The total volume of water stored in Lake Quilotoa is . According to local inhabitants, the lake level has been slowly declining over the last 10 years.

Travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

deposits occur along the shore up to above the lake level (in the year 2000). The village of Quilotoa and the associated crater is also a popular destination within the Quilotoa Loop and is a common starting point for the “Quilotoa Traverse”, a multi-day village to village hiking route.

References

External links

Travel information

Jan 2009 Updated travel info
* {{Authority control Volcanoes of Ecuador Calderas of Ecuador Lakes of Ecuador Geography of Cotopaxi Province Andean Volcanic Belt Active volcanoes Volcanic crater lakes Subduction volcanoes VEI-6 volcanoes Holocene calderas

See also

References

External links