Volcano in Ecuador
Altar volcano: eruption status today
Updated
No eruption of Altar is being reported right now Last eruption: unknown; last significant eruption 2000 (NOAA NCEI).
Live status of Altar: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.
- Status now
- No open report
- Last eruption
- unknown last significant: 2000
- Elevation
- 5,321 m 17,458 ft
- Type
- Stratovolcano
- Earthquakes within 50 km
- 1 past 30 days (USGS)
- Hot spots within 10 km
- 0 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
- Nearest city
- Riobamba 27 km W
Is Altar erupting right now?
There is no open NASA EONET event for Altar right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to unknown, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 2000. Volcano observatories can raise alert levels before an eruption starts, so check the national observatory for the current alert level.
No satellite thermal hot spot was detected within 10 km of the summit in the latest NASA FIRMS data, so there is no sign of lava at the surface large enough for VIIRS to see (clouds can hide it).
Earthquakes near Altar
USGS located 1 earthquake within 50 km of Altar in the past 30 days, 0 of them in the last week. The largest was M4.1 on Oct 12, 2026, 26 km ESE of the summit at 164 km depth.
0 of them were shallower than 10 km. Swarms of shallow quakes can mean magma or gas is moving, but most swarms end without an eruption; observatories combine them with ground deformation and gas data.
| Time (UTC) | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 12, 07:08 UTC | M4.1 | 26 km ESE | 164 km | 27 km WSW of Palora, Ecuador |
About Altar
Altar is a stratovolcano in Ecuador, rising to 5,321 m (17,458 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Pleistocene".
Stratovolcanoes are steep cones built from alternating lava and ash layers; their eruptions are often explosive, with ash columns that can reach cruising altitude.
The nearest large town is Riobamba, about 27 km W of the summit; 5 other cities lie within 250 km.
- Riobamba (27 km) earthquakes nearby
- Ambato (52 km) earthquakes nearby
- Latacunga (85 km) earthquakes nearby
- Quevedo (136 km) earthquakes nearby
- Milagro (140 km) earthquakes nearby
- Cuenca (151 km)
Flights and volcanic ash
No major hub airport is within 400 km (the closest is El Dorado, 853 km away), but ash clouds from explosive eruptions can drift for thousands of kilometres along flight routes.
Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) issue the official ash advisories that airlines and air traffic control follow.
Other volcanoes in Ecuador
Ecuador has 15 volcanoes on this site that erupted since 1900 or are active now, 2 of them with an open NASA activity report today. The closest other one is Tungurahua, 23 km away.
Nearby volcanoes
Volcanoes in Ecuador
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Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.