OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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There has been an increase in activity at Tungurahua volcano, a steep-sided, 16,479-foot stratovolcano located in Ecuador in August 2012. The volcano is one of Ecuador's most active volcanoes (the volcano has erupted periodically since 1999) and sits roughly 140 km south of the capital city of Quito. The most recent activity at Tungurahua included 16 large explosions on August 20th. As nearby villagers heard the explosions, avalanches of incandescent material rolled 1.5 km down the flanks of the volcano during that evening.
On August 21st, an explosive eruption produced an ash column that rose 4 km into the air and pyroclastic flows that traveled 2.5 km down a creek. These eruptions caused the evacuations of 110 families.
In the native Quechua language of the Andes, Tungurahua means "throat of fire".
