[Free Topic] February- Cotopaxiby Paola Guevara | 06-03-2022 09:14 |
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 Cotopaxi Cotopaxi is located on the Cordillera Oriental (Real), at a distance of 35 km northeast of Latacunga and 45 km southeast of Quito. Its edifice forms a symmetrical cone with slopes of up to 35¡Æ and a basal diameter of ~20 km, while the diameter of the crater varies between 800 m in the North-South direction and 650 m in the East-West direction. Cotopaxi is surrounded by moors that border 3,000 meters above sea level and by other volcanoes such as Sincholahua (4,873 meters above sea level), Quilindaña (4,876 meters above sea level), and Rumiñahui (4,722 meters above sea level). Cotopaxi is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world due to the frequency of its eruptions, its eruptive style, its relief, its glacial coverage, and the number of populations potentially exposed to its threats. Since the beginning of the Spanish conquest, Cotopaxi has presented five great eruptive periods: 1532-1534, 1742-1744, 1766-1768, 1853-1854, and 1877-1880. Within a certain range, all the episodes have given rise to very dangerous volcanic phenomena, and there is no doubt that similar episodes will repeat themselves in decades. The last four periods have given rise to very important socio-economic losses in Ecuador. The danger of Cotopaxi lies in the fact that its eruptions can give rise to the formation of enormous lahars (flows of mud and debris) that would pass through neighboring drainages to densely populated areas such as the Inter-Andean Valley between Mulaló and Latacunga, and a part of the valley of the shrieks. It has been estimated that more than 300,000 people currently live in areas threatened by lahars in the event of a recurrence of eruptions similar to those that occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries. Additionally, the ash fall produced during an eruption of Cotopaxi could affect a very significant part of the Sierra and the Coast of Ecuador. Cotopaxi is also one of the most monitored volcanoes in Ecuador and to which a large part of the resources available for monitoring are dedicated. The first permanent seismic station dedicated to monitoring a volcano in South America was installed in Cotopaxi, in 1976. Since then, the monitoring network for this volcano has grown steadily to its current configuration, which ensures adequate monitoring of this dangerous volcano. -Paola:) sources:(https://www.igepn.edu.ec/cotopaxi#:~:text=Su%20edificio%20forma%20un%20cono,m%20en%20sentido%20Este%2DOeste.)
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