Cotopaxi
Elevation: 19,000ft(5,911m)
Cotopaxi (0.7S 78.4W) is a stratovolcano
with a summit elevation of 19,388 feet (5,911 m). It has erupted 50 times
since 1738. The 1877 eruption melted snow and ice on the summit, which
produced mudflows that traveled 60 miles (100 km) from the volcano. The
most recent eruption of Cotopaxi ended in 1904. Reports of an eruption
in 1942 have not been confirmed. The most recent activity was an increase
in steam emissions, melting snow, and small earthquakes from 1975-1976.
Photograph by Chuck Wood in 1979.
Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver at
Cotopaxi Volcano, Ecuador. GPS uses data transmitted by orbiting satellites
to locate points on the ground. The USGS has made baseline GPS measurements
at several volcanoes in the United States and in Latin America. In the
event of an awakening of one of these volcanoes, GPS receivers would be
set up at these points again to determine whether or not measurable deformation
had occurred and to monitor for precursory deformation that might herald
an eruption. Photo by J.W. Ewert. Photo courtesy of USGS Cascades Volcano
Observatory.
To view more images of Cotopaxi click
here.
