Volcanoes in Ecuador
With 7 volcanoes in Ecuador there have been a total of 22 significant eruptions over the past 800 years. Over 5,300 people were killed. The worst volcanic eruption in terms of deaths, destroyed houses and financial damages happened on 01/01/1640 with the eruption of "Tungurahua". Here, 5000 people died.Out of 22 volcanos in Ecuador, 20 are considered still active.
Other natural hazards in Ecuador:
› Earthquake
› Tsunamis
› Current volcanoes worldwide
Back to overview: Ecuador
Ecuador is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which stretches for about 40,000 km around the Pacific Ocean. Here the tectonic plate of the Pacific collides with several surrounding continental plates and seismic tremors occur again and again. Most of the world's volcanic eruptions, which are also the most severe, occur in this zone.
The highest explosivity index in Ecuador reached in the review period was VEI 6 in 1280. The volcano Quilotoa threw tephramasses of at least 10 cubic kilometers over 25 kilometers high. Such an intensity is normally only achieved every 100 years.
Significant volcanic eruptions in Ecuador in the last 800 years
The following list shows all volcanic eruptions of the last 800 years with significant damage. The column "VEI" stands for the volcano explosivity index, which represents the strength of the eruption from a geological point of view. This takes into account the height and volume of the rocks ejected. The scale ranges from 0-8, with the severity of the eruption increasing tenfold with each value. For example, a VEI of 1 means that the volcano throws lava and rock masses of 100,000 to 1 million cubic meters up to 1 kilometer high. From VEI 8, a volcano is considered a super volcano. Here, more than 1,000 cubic kilometers of tephra are thrown to altitudes of more than 25 kilometers.The highest explosivity index in Ecuador reached in the review period was VEI 6 in 1280. The volcano Quilotoa threw tephramasses of at least 10 cubic kilometers over 25 kilometers high. Such an intensity is normally only achieved every 100 years.
Eruption | Volcano | VEI | Deaths | Total damage |
---|---|---|---|---|
03/05/2021 | Sangay | 2 | 0 | |
04/01/2011 | Tungurahua | 4 | 0 | |
11/01/2010 | Tungurahua | 3 | 0 | |
01/01/2010 | Tungurahua | 3 | 0 | |
08/22/2008 | Tungurahua | 3 | 2 | |
08/17/2006 | Tungurahua | 3 | 5 | |
07/18/2006 | Tungurahua | 3 | 1 | |
11/03/2002 | Reventador | 4 | 0 | |
10/16/1999 | Tungurahua | 3 | 1 | |
10/05/1999 | Guagua Pichincha | 3 | 2 | |
03/12/1993 | Guagua Pichincha | 1 | 2 | |
08/12/1976 | Sangay | 3 | 2 | |
04/13/1943 | Azul, Cerro | 3 | 1 | |
03/03/1916 | Tungurahua | 4 | 0 | |
01/11/1886 | Tungurahua | 4 | 2 | |
06/25/1877 | Cotopaxi | 4 | 340 | |
04/04/1768 | Cotopaxi | 4 | 0 | |
12/09/1742 | Cotopaxi | 3 | 0 | |
06/15/1742 | Cotopaxi | 3 | 0 | |
01/01/1698 | Cotopaxi | 3 | 0 | |
01/01/1640 | Tungurahua | 3 | 5000 | |
01/01/1280 | Quilotoa | 6 | 0 |
All volcanoes in Ecuador
Volcano | Elevation | Status | Last eruption |
---|---|---|---|
Alcedo | 1127 m | Active | |
Antizana | 5705 m | Active | |
Cerro Azul | 1690 m | Active | |
Cotopaxi | 5897 m | Active | |
Cumbal | 4764 m | Active | |
Darwin | 1325 m | Potentially active | |
Espanola | 205 m | Active | |
Fernandina | 1546 m | Active | |
Lunganate | Potentially active | ||
Marchena | 354 m | Solfatara stage | |
Pichincha | 4787 m | Active | |
Pinta | 777 m | Active | |
Quilotoa | 3981 m | Active | |
Reventader | 3485 m | Active | |
San Salvador | 920 m | Active | |
Sangay | 5230 m | Active | 03/05/2021 |
Santa Fe | 274 m | Solfatara stage | |
Santa Maria | 640 m | Active | |
Santo Tomas | 1490 m | Active | |
Sumaco | 3828 m | Active | |
Tungurahua | 5016 m | Active | 04/01/2011 |
Wolf | 1710 m | Active |
These statistics are based on datas from the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program (GVP), and the Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database of the National Geophysical Data Center (NOAA) / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS) doi:10.7289/V5JW8BSH. Several data have been summarized and translated.