Popocatépetl Volcano Latest News
Recently, a team of scientists obtained the first 3D images from inside Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano.
About Popocatépetl Volcano
- Popocatépetl means "Smoking Mountain” in the Aztec Nahuatl language.
- Location: It is located in central Mexico roughly 45 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City.
- It is on the border of the states of México and Puebla.
- The volcano lies on the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, which is the result of the small Cocos Plate subducting beneath the North American Plate.
- It is one of Mexico's most active volcanoes, with recorded eruptions since 1519.
- Elevation: It is a steep-sided stratovolcano that rises to an elevation of 5452 m (17,883 ft) above sea level.
- Popocatépetl is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the Ring of Fire.
What is Stratovolcano?
- It is a tall, steep, and cone-shaped type of volcano.
- They are typically found above subduction zones, and they are often part of large volcanically active regions, such as the Ring of Fire that frames much of the Pacific Ocean.
- They comprise the largest percentage (~60%) of the Earth’s individual volcanoes.
- These more viscous lavas allow gas pressures to build up to high levels. Therefore, these volcanoes often suffer explosive eruptions.
- They are usually about half-half lava and pyroclastic material, and the layering of these products gives them their other common name of composite volcanoes.
- At the peak, stratovolcanoes usually have a small crater.
Source: TH
Popocatépetl Volcano FAQs
Q1: Where is Popocatépetl Volcano located?
Ans: Mexico
Q2: What is another name for a Strato Volcano?
Ans: Composite Volcano
