December 2010

As the tectonic plates shift and break, especially in the Pacific Ring of Fire, we find earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions becoming more frequent. Today we visit Ecuador as Mount Tungurahua known as the "Throat of Fire" erupts.

Villagers evacuated as Ecuador volcano erupts   PhysOrg - December 5, 2010
The Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador is billowing ash into the sky and sending super-hot pyroclastic flows surging down its slopes, causing authorities to evacuate nearby villages.

Tungurahua, (Quichua tunguri (throat), rahua (fire): "Throat of Fire") is an active stratovolcano located in the Cordillera Central of Ecuador. The volcano gives its name to the province of Tungurahua. Volcanic activity restarted in 1999, and is ongoing as of 2010, with major eruptions on 16 August 2006, 6 February 2008, 28 May 2010, and 4 December 2010.

Today's volcanic edifice (Tungurahua III) is constructed inside its predecessor's (Tungurahua II) caldera which collapsed about 3000 years ago. The original edifice (Tungurahua I) collapsed at the end of the late Pleistocene.

Tungurahua's eruptions are strombolian. They produce andesite and dacite. All historical eruptions originated from the summit crater and have been accompanied by strong explosions, pyroclastic flows and sometimes lava flows. In the last 1,300 years Tungurahua entered every 80 to 100 years into an activity phase of which the major have been the ones of 1773, 1886 and 1916-1918.

List of volcanoes in Ecuador   Wikipedia