Volcano in Ecuador
Sangay volcano: eruption status today
Updated
Sangay is active now: NASA lists an open volcanic activity event (latest report Mar 26, 2019) 11 satellite hot spots within 10 km. 0 earthquakes within 50 km in the past 7 days.
Live status of Sangay: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.
- Status now
- Active (NASA EONET) latest report Mar 26, 2019
- Last eruption
- 1964 or later last significant: 2021
- Elevation
- 5,286 m 17,343 ft
- Type
- Stratovolcano
- Earthquakes within 50 km
- 1 past 30 days (USGS)
- Hot spots within 10 km
- 11 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
- Nearest city
- Riobamba 52 km NW
Is Sangay erupting right now?
NASA's Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET) has an open volcanic event for Sangay, last updated Mar 26, 2019 (2770 days ago). EONET opens an event when agencies such as the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program report eruptive activity or unrest, and closes it when activity ends.
NASA FIRMS shows 11 thermal hot spots within 10 km of the summit in the latest VIIRS satellite passes (strongest 4.7 MW fire radiative power). Hot spots on a volcano can be lava, a glowing vent or ordinary vegetation fires; satellites cannot tell them apart on their own.
Earthquakes near Sangay
USGS located 1 earthquake within 50 km of Sangay in the past 30 days, 0 of them in the last week. The largest was M4.1 on Oct 12, 2026, 30 km NNE 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 | 30 km NNE | 164 km | 27 km WSW of Palora, Ecuador |
About Sangay
Sangay is a stratovolcano in Ecuador, rising to 5,286 m (17,343 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 Riobamba, about 52 km NW of the summit; 5 other cities lie within 250 km.
- Riobamba (52 km) earthquakes nearby
- Ambato (89 km) earthquakes nearby
- Cuenca (123 km) earthquakes nearby
- Latacunga (123 km) earthquakes nearby
- Milagro (140 km) earthquakes nearby
- Quevedo (165 km)
Flights and volcanic ash
No major hub airport is within 400 km (the closest is El Dorado, 879 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, 1 of them with an open NASA activity report today. The closest other one is Altar, 38 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.