Volcano in Ecuador

Guagua Pichincha volcano: eruption status today

Updated

No eruption of Guagua Pichincha is being reported right now Last eruption: 1964 or later; last significant eruption 1999 (NOAA NCEI).

Live status of Guagua Pichincha: 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
1964 or later last significant: 1999
Elevation
4,784 m 15,696 ft
Type
Stratovolcano
Earthquakes within 50 km
0 past 30 days (USGS)
Hot spots within 10 km
0 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
Nearest city
Quito 10 km SE

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Is Guagua Pichincha erupting right now?

There is no open NASA EONET event for Guagua Pichincha right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to 1964 or later, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 1999. 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 Guagua Pichincha

USGS has no earthquake within 50 km of Guagua Pichincha in the past 30 days. Outside the United States USGS mainly lists quakes above about M4, so small volcanic tremors recorded by the local observatory will not appear here.

About Guagua Pichincha

Guagua Pichincha is a stratovolcano in Ecuador, rising to 4,784 m (15,696 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".

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 Quito, about 10 km SE of the summit; 5 other cities lie within 250 km.

Flights and volcanic ash

No major hub airport is within 400 km (the closest is El Dorado, 733 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 Cotopaxi, 59 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.