Increasing activity at Cotopaxi volcano puts Quito, Los Chillos, on alert
Nov 28, 2022
As clouds of gas and ash rose two kilometers above the Cotopaxi volcano on Sunday, officials in Quito and nearby communities alerted residents of the possibility of increasing ashfall. The 5,897-meter volcano, which began its current active phase in mid-October, is located 45 kilometers southeast of Quito.
On Saturday and Sunday, 17 sites in Quito and the Los Chillos Valley reported light accumulations of ash and the National Risk Management Service urged residents to be prepared for the possibility of more. “Cotopaxi entered a new period of heightened activity in October and we expect this to continue in the coming weeks and months,” Ecuador’s Geophysical Institute reported Sunday. “On November 24 and 25, we detected an increasing number of earthquakes at the volcano as well as the rise of magma beneath the mountain. The activity does not currently pose a serious threat but it is on an upward trend and we advise authorities and the public to remain alert for changes.”
Gas and ash emission rose 2,000 meters above the Cotopaxi volcano on Sunday.
The Geophysical Institute said the immediate threat is to agricultural interests and advised that damage to crops and livestock could result if ashfall increases.
The Risk Management office reports that the gas and ash cloud is moving northwest from Cotopaxi over the Quito metropolitan area. “We expect the prevailing winds to continue to direct the emission cloud in the current direction,” it said in a statement.
Considered one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes by volcanologists, Cotopaxi entered an active phase in 2016, showering the Quito area with sometimes-heavy ashfall. The eruption, considered “moderate,” sent a series of lahars and lava flows down the mountain’s flanks, covering more than 100 hectares of the Cotopaxi National Park.
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