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Risky Business
Popocatepetl , a large stratovolcano located approximately 70 kilometer southeast of Mexico City , is considered by many volcanologists to be " the major planet ’s riskiest volcano . " The vent warrants this eminence because of how close it is to one of the most dumbly populated megacities on Earth : nearly 23 million mass lived in Mexico City in 2009 . The sort of likely volcanic hazards at Popocatepetl is also considerable , including explosive eruptions of ash , pyroclastic flow rate ( hot , liquid avalanches of stone fragments and gas ) , and debris avalanches . Together with the ice on nearby Iztaccíhuatl Volcano and Pico de Orizaba ( Mexico ’s highest peak and the highest volcano in North America ) , Popocatepetl ’s glaciers are the only mint glaciers in tropic North America . The glaciers create yet another volcanic hazard : unsafe mudflows , or lahars , if the shabu were to melt during an eruption .
The Smoking Mountain
With a name that means " smoking good deal " in the Aztec terminology , Mexico ’s Popocatépetl does not disappoint . The towering vent , about 43 stat mi ( 70 kilometers ) southeastern United States of Mexico City , was emitting a faint plume of steam and gas pedal on Jan. 4 , 2011.[Full Story : Mexico ’s Popocatepetl Lives Up to Its Name ]
Constant Action
Popocatépetl has been erupting since January 2005.The vent , which tower over central Mexico , volcano almost always from fumaroles , openings in the Earth ’s crust that emit steam or gases . This low - level background is punctuated by minor steam , gas and ash tree emissions.[Full Story : Mexican Volcano Erupts incessantly ]
Spying Eyes
Popo , as it is sometimes foretell , has been frequently fighting for six age . On Jan. 23 , 2001 , the eruption plumage reportedly rose to more than 9 kilometre above ocean level [ for mention , Popo ’s summit elevation is 5,426 m ( 17,800 feet ) ] . Note the smaller ash plume below the main plume ( arrow ) . The perspective from the ISS allow the spaceman this unique 3 - dimensional view .
Ups and Downs
Notice the topography of Popocatépetl and the hem in landscape in colors ranging from green ( low-spirited elevation ) to yellow to pink to white ( high elevation ) . The vent sits in the center of the image , its slopes spring up from the surrounding plain . To the Orient , crenation - edged raised areas show the location of harden lava flows . agree to the Smithsonian Institution ’s Global Volcanism web site , " At least three previous major cone shape [ at Popocatépetl ] were destroyed by gravitational failure during the Pleistocene , producing massive debris - avalanche deposit in the south of the volcano . " That story may explain why the southern portion of the vent and the terrain to the south appear much more rugged than the area to the west and the east . North of Popocatépetl is a peak bonk as Iztaccihuatl , a 900,000 - class - sure-enough volcano whose last eruptive sequence was 80,000 eld ago . The topographic map is made from data accumulate by the Space Shuttle Endeavour in February 2000 as part of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission ( SRTM ) .
Ring of Fire
This detailed , devious spaceman pic also depicts a neighboring volcano , Iztaccíhuatl ( the " Woman in White " ) . With northward to the right in the scene , the eyeshot is a westward - calculate linear perspective . The faint feather emanating from Popocatepetl ’s 250- to 450 - cadence - deep summit volcanic crater on Feb. 16 , 2003 , take the stand to the important , ever - present hazard the volcano represents to the 25 million people know in the region , including the nearby city of Amecameca , as well as the metropolitan center of Mexico City to the NW and Puebla to the due east .
Activity Develops
The volcano began emitting a substantial amount of ash tree on April 12 , 2012 , and an explosion on April 13 sent volcanic blocks as far as 500 meters ( 1,640 feet ) away from the crater rim . On April 15 , an ash plume rose 1.5 kilometers ( 0.9 Admiralty mile ) above the crater . When the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer ( ASTER ) cat’s-paw onNASA ’s Terra satellite captured this imitation - color image of the vent at 12:17 PM local metre ( 17:17 UTC ) on April 23 , a plumage of petrol and steam was seeable drifting east above the crater . The red depicts timberland and vegetation surrounding the volcano .
Restless Beast
Activity began to compound in mid - April 2012 . The image above , captured by the Advanced Land Imager ( ALI ) on NASA ’s Earth Observing-1 ( EO-1 ) artificial satellite , captured this view of Popocatépetl at 11:35 p.m. local time ( 16:35 UTC ) on April 25 , 2012.A plume of steam and ash bungle to the south from the vent ’s primary outlet . The ongoing volcanic eruption has fling hot rock fragment onto the northeasterly wing of the batch , and a tan spell of what is likely unexampled material called tephra is seeable just north of the chief vent . Older lava flows are seeable newspaper clipping into forests on the western side . A portion of a swarm northwest of the master vent obscures part of the plume .
Captured in Action
This ghostly effigy , captured by a NASA satellite , shows the erupting Popocatépetl at night.[Full Story : Satellite Captures Mexican Volcano ’s Unceasing Eruption ]
Spied from Above
Mexico ’s Popocatépetl volcano dust nearby area with ash tree this hebdomad in one of its tumid explosions in recent years . The eruption , combine with a surge feather of steam and ash tree and increase seismic activity , has prompted authorities to raise the volcano ’s alert condition and advise people to ride out at least 7 mil forth from the summit.[Full Story : Mexico ’s Erupting Popocatépetl Volcano sight from Above ]
