Activity at Tungurahua Volcano Near Ba帽os Ramps Up

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

10 years ago

Black ash from the Tungurahua volcano shot 1.2 miles (two kilometers) above the volcano's peak today (Thursday, August 27, 2015), sending ash to nearby communities, according to volcano monitoring/reporting agencies.

There were tremors and five increasingly powerful explosions at the volcano 87 miles (140 km) southwest of Quito, between 5:57 a.m. and 8:05 a.m.聽 Tungurahua is 16,500 feet tall (5,023 meters).

Ash was sent to the communities of Chontapamba Pillate, Bilbao and Juive Grande.

The famous tourist town of Ba帽os is at the foot of Tungurahua.聽 Ambato is 18 miles or 30 km to the northwest of the volcano.

A monitoring agency, IGEPN, said that a futher increase in activity could lead to "strong explosions" and "pyroclastic flows" (rivers of rock fragments and gas).

The seismic activity at Tungurahua comes five days after the U.S. Embassy's Town Meeting about the recently-active Cotopaxi volcano.

Primary source...

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jessekimmerling Guest

0POSTS

10 years ago

I'm glad I just moved my family to the coast. I doubt anything terrible will happen with the volcanic activity, but it gives me a bit of piece of mind. Last year I visited Tungurahua. There was dense fog and I couldn't see more than 30 meters, but I could hear the volcano growling and spitting. It was nerve racking and cool.

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

10 years ago

Chalk up three new explosions at the Tungurahua volcano.

Ecuador's Geophysical Institute, as related in today's Comercio newspaper, reports that all three explosions were of moderate intensity.

Ash was blown into several area towns.

Ba帽os, the tourist Mecca that sits at the foot of Tungarahua, was not among the towns afflicted by ash, according to the Institute.

cccmedia in Quito

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

10 years ago

Tungurahua volcanic activity ramped up this week.聽

Yesterday -- Thursday, Nov. 20, 2015 -- ashfall from the volcano got so bad in Ambato that schools and the technical university sent students home.

Parents were covering their children with scarves, sunglasses and caps to avoid inhaling the white ash.

The ash covered rooftops and other exposed areas.

The yellow alert has been upgraded to the more serious orange alert in parts of Tungurahua and Chimborazo provinces.

蝉辞耻谤肠别:听

聽 -- cccmedia in Quito

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cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

10 years ago

Heavy volcanic ashfall to the west of Tungurahua remains a major concern.聽

Farmers say the ash has coated forage, threatening livestock, and has already cost millions in crop losses.

The ashfall that coated Ambato two days ago accumulated to as much as three inches.

cccmedia in Quito

1 member reacted to this post

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

10 years ago

The threat to Ba帽os.

The tourist city of Ba帽os sits at the foot of Tungurahua.

Geologists say that Ba帽os would probably be destroyed in the case of a major eruption.

Tungurahua began its current eruptive cycle in 1999.聽 The city was ordered evacuated that year, but residents forced their way back into Ba帽os.聽 The government has not attempted an evacuation since.

Ba帽os is built on hardened lava flows from previous eruptions.

Ba帽os has 25,000 residents.

Source:

聽 -- cccmedia in Quito

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mugtech ViP

4732POSTS

10 years ago

cccmedia wrote:
The threat to Ba帽os.

The tourist city of Ba帽os sits at the foot of Tungurahua.

Geologists say that Ba帽os would probably be destroyed in the case of a major eruption.

Tungurahua began its current eruptive cycle in 1999.聽 The city was ordered evacuated that year, but residents forced their way back into Ba帽os.聽 The government has not attempted an evacuation since.

Ba帽os is built on hardened lava flows from previous eruptions.

Ba帽os has 25,000 residents.

Source:

聽 -- cccmedia in Quito

Built on hardened lava flows may give a peek into the future.

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cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

10 years ago

There was reduced activity and emissions at Tungurahua this weekend after a phase of nearly continuous degassing and ash venting on November 18th and 19th that produced ash columns up to 3 kilometers in height (about two miles high).

Ashfall was reported this week in eight towns northwest of the volcano.聽 This caused "significant damage to vegetation and some infrastructure."

Source:

cccmedia in Quito

1 member reacted to this post

DonCarlos Active member

25POSTS

10 years ago

since we live north and east of the volcano we have had none of the ill effects that you speak of. Banos had a couple of days of dust in the air but it cleared up quickly in a couple of hours. Lets us not scare off the people who want to come visit by merely saying that "the sky is falling" Actually the volcano is awesome to watch. It is merely a part of the ambiance of Banos. If it explodes and kills us all, so be it. I'm not scared.

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

10 years ago

#10

DonCarlos wrote:
since we live north and east of the volcano we have had none of the ill effects that you speak of.聽 Banos had a couple of days of dust in the air but it cleared up quickly in a couple of hours. Let us not scare off the people who want to come visit by merely saying that "the sky is falling" Actually the volcano is awesome to watch. It is merely a part of the ambiance of Banos. If it explodes and kills us all, so be it. I'm not scared.

Public safety is more important than attracting visitors.聽 If the sky is falling, it will be reported.

Your individual experience outside the ashfall zone is not necessarily representative of the dangers that active volcanoes pose.

The posts about emissions and ashfall are from official sources.

I'm not even going to dignify the last two sentences in your post with a response.

cccmedia in Quito

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MGLuke Contributor

133POSTS

10 years ago

#11

Thank you cccmedia,聽 The information is factual & necessary for people that are going to Banos or are in Banos and do not agree they want to go up in smoke.聽 Again Thank you.聽 Keep it up, this is not a joking matter.

mugtech ViP

4732POSTS

10 years ago

#12

DonCarlos wrote:
since we live north and east of the volcano we have had none of the ill effects that you speak of. Banos had a couple of days of dust in the air but it cleared up quickly in a couple of hours. Lets us not scare off the people who want to come visit by merely saying that "the sky is falling" Actually the volcano is awesome to watch. It is merely a part of the ambiance of Banos. If it explodes and kills us all, so be it. I'm not scared.

Some should risk their lives so others can earn money?聽 You could work for the USA military industrial complex.聽 You know how to be brave with other people's lives.

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MGLuke Contributor

133POSTS

10 years ago

#13

聽 All I can say!聽 There is always one!

DonCarlos Active member

25POSTS

10 years ago

#14

Wow, a guy just offers his opinion and you come out swinging.聽 **
Can't we all get along here or do we have to pick sides? C'mon people we are supposed to be friendly, aren't we?
All I was saying was I have no need to worry. I like it here, and here is where I would like to stay, I moved to Ecuador to enjoy Ecuador. Period. If something catastrophic happens, we are all in it together.Nothing else is implied. I did not come here to try to make money or to try to get other people to pay for my self serving interest. I came here to live. Sorry to ruffle your feathers. Maybe my wording is not correct but my intentions are good. **Feel free to clue me in, Huh?

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