Thursday, February 07, 2008

Volcano Tungurahua Erupting In Ecuador

via Reuters

PELILEO, Ecuador, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Ecuador's "Throat of Fire" volcano roared on Wednesday, spurting molten rock and huge plumes of smoke that showered villages with ash and prompted the evacuation of about 1,200 people.

The volcano, called Tungurahua in the native Quichua language, is 80 miles (130 km) south of the capital, Quito. It last erupted in August 2006 and has been rumbling and belching rock, gas and ash since January.

Volcanologists expect still stronger activity from Tungurahua, which is in the middle of an eruption cycle that began in 1999.

"This is an ongoing eruption and we still don't know the magnitude it could reach," said Hugo Yepes, the head of the country's Geophysics Institute.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

To sad to hear about the eruption close to Banjos. Fantasic coutry which again will be suffering from this amazing volcano. I saw it 22 years ago.