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Sunday 22 of December 2024

Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador Erupts


APTOPIX Ecuador Tungurahua Volcano
APTOPIX Ecuador Tungurahua Volcano
Ecuador volcano sends up towering cloud of ash

The Tungurahua volcano spews a column of ash during an eruption seen from Huambalo, Ecuador, Saturday, March 5, 2016. Tungurahua is 16,480 feet (5,023 meters) high and has been active since 1999.(AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
The Tungurahua volcano spews a column of ash during an eruption seen from Huambalo, Ecuador, Saturday, March 5, 2016. Photo: The Associated Press/Dolores Ochoa

HUAMBALO, Ecuador — Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano has been putting on a dramatic show, spewing lava from a cauldron-like crater and launching towering clouds of ash and gas.

The country’s Geophysical Institute said Sunday the column of ash reached a maximum height of about 2 miles (3 kilometers) in recent hours, while it hurled blocks of glowing rock about a mile (1.5 kilometer) down its slopes.

The 16,480-foot (5,023 meter) peak is about 85 miles (140 kilometers) south of Quito, the capital, and close to the tourist center of Banos. It’s been periodically erupting since 1999