Reventador is an active

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...

which lies in the eastern

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 ...

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 ...

. It lies in a remote area of the national park of the same name, which is Spanish for "exploder". Since 1541, it has erupted over 25 times, although its isolated location means that many of its eruptions have gone unreported. The largest historical eruption occurred in 2002. During that eruption, the plume from the volcano reached a height of and pyroclastic flows proceeded to from the cone. On March 30, 2007, the mountain ejected ash to a height of about . No injuries or damage were reported. Its most recent eruption began on 27 July 2008, and it has remained in continuing eruption status (intermittent eruptive events without a break of 3 months or more) as of 15 October 2021. Reventador is part of a chain of volcanoes in the Cordillera Real, much further east than the main volcanic axis of the region. The volcano rises above the jungles of the western

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributary, tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries ...

and the flanks are densely clad in forests. The volcano has a

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 ...

that is across; there is a wide gap in the caldera wall to the east, formed by a collapse of the structure. There is an unvegetated stratovolcano rising about from inside the caldera, and this is the main seat of current volcanic activity. The

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

s are andesitic. Reventador is one of the most active volcanoes in Ecuador. In 2020, there were near daily emissions of clouds of ash rising one or two kilometres into the air, occasional crater incandescence, and frequent avalanches of incandescent blocks.

References

Volcan el Reventador

Photos of Reventador from August 2005

Volcanic eruptions with little warning: the case of Volcán Reventador's Surprise November 3, 2002 Eruption, Ecuador

External links

* {{Authority control Stratovolcanoes of Ecuador Active volcanoes Andean Volcanic Belt Subduction volcanoes 21st-century volcanic events Holocene stratovolcanoes Quaternary South America

See also

References

External links