Cotopaxi, Ecuador
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. Photo by Chuck Wood - 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.
Cotopaxi as viewed from near the summit of Iliniza Norte. Photo by Douglas Simms.
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