One of the most active volcanoes in Ecuador, Cotopaxi, 50 kilometers from the city of Quito, reactivated an eruptive process that began in 2015. On that occasion it lasted 5 months, with emissions up to 1 and a half kilometers high from the crater.
The volcano has an extensive glacier that in the event of a full eruption would cause damage to a nearby population of more than 60,000 by triggering dangerous landslides from the mountain slopes.
Since Wednesday, ash falls have been reported in several communities, and experts are evaluating the potential danger to the population.
Hugo Yépez, a volcanologist from the Geophysical Institute, said that with Cotopaxi you have to have “a lot of attention from everyone, because it is the volcano that represents the greatest risk for the community.”
The Geophysical Institute monitors Cotopaxi permanently and its technicians issue daily reports on the activity. At the moment, the emissions contain small amounts of water vapor and ash, according to volcanologist Silvia Hidalgo.
“It has a very small volcanic explosivity, especially if we compare it with the events of 2015.”
The Ecuadorian Secretary of Risk Management keeps the population informed about the extent of the ash.
For the moment, the yellow alert is maintained and the expulsion of ash continues to be moderate and reaches especially to the south of the Andes Mountains. The cities of Quito and Guayaquil have received little amount of ash, but the activity could increase.
“The problem is that these events cannot be predicted, so this of course has a direct implication for the people who are going to be in the area near the summit,” Hidalgo said.
The Secretary for Risk Management has also organized drills to alert the population living near the volcano, and one of them has been called for January 27.
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