Volcano in Ecuador
Tungurahua volcano: eruption status today
Updated
No eruption of Tungurahua is being reported right now Last eruption: 1964 or later; last significant eruption 2011 (NOAA NCEI).
Live status of Tungurahua: 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: 2011
- Elevation
- 5,023 m 16,480 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
- Ambato 31 km NW
Is Tungurahua erupting right now?
There is no open NASA EONET event for Tungurahua right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to 1964 or later, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 2011. 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 Tungurahua
USGS located 1 earthquake within 50 km of Tungurahua in the past 30 days, 0 of them in the last week. The largest was M4.1 on Oct 12, 2026, 43 km SE 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 | 43 km SE | 164 km | 27 km WSW of Palora, Ecuador |
About Tungurahua
Tungurahua is a stratovolcano in Ecuador, rising to 5,023 m (16,480 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 Ambato, about 31 km NW of the summit; 5 other cities lie within 250 km.
- Ambato (31 km) earthquakes nearby
- Riobamba (33 km) earthquakes nearby
- Latacunga (62 km) earthquakes nearby
- Quevedo (123 km) earthquakes nearby
- Quito (138 km) earthquakes nearby
- Milagro (148 km) earthquakes nearby
Flights and volcanic ash
No major hub airport is within 400 km (the closest is El Dorado, 836 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 Altar, 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.