Tungurahua Volcano Is Billowing Ash into Sky and Sending Super-Hot Pyroclastic Flows Surging Down Its Slopes
A column of smoke and ashes comes out from the Tungurahua volcano in Pelileo, Ecuador, Dec. 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Patricio Realpe)
(AP) The Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador is billowing ash into the sky and sending super-hot pyroclastic flows surging down its slopes, causing authorities to evacuate nearby villages.
Hugo Yepez, director of Ecuador's Geophysical Institute, says no one has been injured nor any village damaged. He says people within 8 miles of the volanco's center were evacuated Saturday as a precaution.
An eruption of ash from Tungurahua last May caused a one-day shutdown of the international airport at Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil. Thousands of people in near the volcano also were evacuated.
The volcano is 95 miles southeast of Quito, the capital. In 2006, an eruption buried entire villages and killed at least four people.
Fast FactsEcuador Learn about the people, economy and history.
On Thursday we flew back to Quito. All of us suffered from the altitude - we felt dizzy, headachy, and tired. That evening we had a meeting to talk about what went well and what could be improved and how to improve it. Most of us went to bed after the meeting because we were so tired. The next day we all went on one of three day trips: Otavalo market, the cloud forest reserve, or old town Quito. I went to the Otavalo market. On the way we stopped at the equator for some pictures. I lost count of how many times I crossed the equator on this trip.
Straddling the equator.
Me straddling the equator.
Government marker on the equator.
We saw the avocado and rose farms along the way. Roses are a huge export product for Ecuador and Otavalo is a town that makes a lot of money from rose production and farming. First we went to a food market which is on a block in the middle of town. It is not at all like a US food market. The stands are mostly outside and there is all kinds of interesting food. Fruits and vegetables, grains, prepared foods such empanadas and soups, and meats all in huge piles. There are people who butcher the meat right in front of you so you can see piles of chicken heads and feet and parts of pigs and whole pigs. We did not see any cuy (guinea pig) at this market.
Otavalo food market grain stand
Otavalo food market.
From there we went to the textile and craft market. There were blankets, scarves, sweaters, hats, tapestries, and all kinds of woven and knitted items. Most are made of cotton or alpaca (a type of llama) wool. Jewelry and simple wooden toys were also sold there. I bought a few scarves and hats for my family. The group that went to the cloud forest saw many kinds of beautiful hummingbirds - species that are only found in that area - and a giant earthworm, the size of a big snake!
1/2 of the giant earthworm! (this was roadkill and the other half is missing)
That night we had a farewell dinner in the courtyard of an old church in the center of town. It was Quito Founders Day, like our Indepedence Day, and we saw fireworks over the church while eating dinner. Nice!
Fireworks over the church.
We drove back to the hotel in a Chiva, a wooden double-decker bus with a live band on the top. Along the way, the bus driver got us off the bus and made us all dance. Then we got back on and drove slowly through Quito with the band playing on top of the bus the whole time and us making as much noise as possible. It was great fun and fine way to end our trip to Ecuador.
The chiva we rode.
Chiva with musicians on top. (photo credit accidentalexplorer.com)
This was our last day on the islands. We had a great day visiting a lagoon where we saw more sharks, rays, and sea turtles. I will really miss it here. Tomorrow we fly to Quito where we will visit some of the sites for a day and then head home. Thanks for all of your comments. Below, I tried to answer all of the questions that were about Ecuador.
Michael,
Sleeping on a boat was interesting. The first two nights were great because the boat gently rocked while moving through the water to our next destination. But the third night was very wavy and it felt like we would fall out of our beds! When it was clear the stars were magnificent and there are different constellations here because we are on the equator. We crossed the equator a few times while on the boat. That was kind of cool even though you don’t know it while it’s happening. The lights of the boat attract all kind of wildlife so we saw sea lions, penguins, sharks, and fish swimming and playing (or hunting each other) along side the boat.
Rachel,
I took a picture of a Galapagos penguin for you.
Cole,
The tortoises are on many of the islands. And different tortoises live on different islands. The ones in the last pictures are on Santa Cruz island, but on a different island, the tortoises are much taller. We only saw those in captivity at the research center. Also, the tortoises seem to be hungry all the time, and I had to run from a few hungry tortoises! It was close, but I was bit faster. Actually, they are mostly vegetarian and they don’t eat large mammals like me.
Kristi,
There are about 30,000 people in all of the Galapagos and half of them live on Santa Cruz, this island. Puerto Ayora, where we’ve been staying, is the biggest town on the islands.
Aaron,
The time in Quito, Ecuador is the same as your time. It changed by one hour in the islands, but the ship is on mainland time. This has been a bit confusing because we’ve had to change time an hour back, then forward, then back, and tomorrow we’ll change it forward again. Also, I am glad you are learning proportions.
Joey,
This trip has been amazing in so many ways! The wildlife, the geology (rocks), the people who live here, the local teachers, the US teachers that are traveling with me. It’s all been fantastic!
Nay-Nay,
The average temperature is between 60 and 80F during the day and about 60 at night. We are at the end of the cold season so it will get warmer for the next 6 months. I am here with 24 teachers from the USA to study environmental issues and to work with the local Galapagos teachers. It has been a great experience!
Aryemis,
Coffee is not native, but it is also not invasive. They grow coffee because it can be sold for money. Most coffee is grown in the sun which means the native trees had to be chopped down to grow it. This is very destructive. Here they are getting farmers to grow coffee organically and to plant native shade trees. There are not many people on these islands because the land is 98% national park.
Lucia,
I do know you! You just don’t remember that we’ve met several times. Oh well. Anyway, your questions are all answered in my answers to other people’s questions above.
Nathan,
We’ve gone swimming with the white tipped sharks a few times and so far, no casualties. The hammerhead and bull sharks are dangerous so we stayed away from them. It is tropical because we are on the equator, but we are here in the cold season so you need jackets (at night and in the highlands) and you need a wetsuit in the water because it is cold. There are a lot of beaches, but many of them are not open to people. Only sea lions, iguanas, and birds are allowed.
Bre,
School here is very different from Bullis in many ways. Mostly, the buildings are not very nice and there is a lot of noise. It is so crowded that the students have to go to school in two shifts – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They have one computer lab for the entire school. The science lab is very bare bones. There is a dentist at the school to provide dental care to students. Bullis is pretty snazzy compared to the schools here.
Today we visited two coffee farms and another farm that is getting ready to grow coffee. They all use native trees to shade the coffee bushes and organic methods of farming. The giant tortoises roam freely around the farms. It was really great seeing them. I really wanted to touch one but it is illegal. You may get no closer than 3 meters to each tortoise. We planted some native trees and there was one tortoise right there in the way so we got to be closer to that one. Since none of my students' comments have anything to do with my blog, I have a challenge for you. Look at my blog and find out three of the animals I swam with. Send me a comment at the end of this posting and put your first name on it so I know who is deserving of praise. I look forward to reading your comments, especially the ones that respond to something I posted!
Rough seas last night and I could not sleep. Then, up early to get off boat before census lock-down begins. We were sequestered at a hotel all day until 5:00 for the census. During this time we had two lectures – one from Galapagos ICE by Emily Poso and one from Roland Geyer of the Bren School at UCSB. Galapagos ICE stands for Immerse, Connect, Evolve. It is an organization that looks at the human side of sustainability. They work with the local schools, medical establishments, and others to provide supplies and education. Dr. Geyer spoke about the importance of pollution prevention over pollution control. Then we had some free time to work on our blogs or do whatever. That night I saw an incredible shooting star. It had two big flare ups and then fizzled out.
Monday, November 28:
Today we visited the Gala Plaza school in Puerto Ayorda, on Santa Cruz island. Every Monday morning all of the students get together to sing the national anthem. The students and teachers were very welcoming to us. Everywhere we went students wanted to see our pictures and talk to us. They loved having their pictures taken, also. We had been working with our Galapagos teacher friends on a lesson to present so today we got to teach our lesson. It was really fun! The students were very enthusiastic and I have some great video of their ideas to share with Bullis students. There is a dentist at the school who sees 8 to 9 students each day. The dentist is a volunteer, who after completing medical (or dental) school, must volunteer for one year in a school. In the afternoon we did a service project at a school in the highlands. There we planted native plants to decorate and stabilize the school’s entrance and the new soccer field.
I don't know where to start. This was an unbelievable experience for me. We went on a cruise on a 300 foot ship to the mostly uninhabited islands. Every day we visited different islands to snorkel and hike and each day was more wonderful than the day before. We were also treated really well with great food and wonderful service. The local Galapagos teachers joined us for the next several days to learn about the environmental treasures and issues of the islands. We have been working together with the local teachers on our school projects and lessons. This week, we will visit the teachers' schools to present our lessons and then do a community service project at the schools. It is exciting to be learning and working with our colleagues here. Okay, here is what I've been doing the past few days:
Thursday, November 25, 2010
What an amazing day! First thing in the morning we visited the Galapagos recycling center. The center was established and funded by the German government and has become a model for how a city can recycle it’s waste. We got back on the bus and drove back across the island to the fuel depot. Toyota was involved in setting up this depot after the Galapagos oil spill in 2002. The new fuel depot has leak proof couplings and advanced technology to shut down the depot in case of an emergency. Dinghies picked us up to take us to our ship, the Galapagos Legend. This was the beginning of the big Galapagos adventure. Immediately after getting on the ship we were fed a big buffet lunch. Then we had an evacuation drill, just like at school, only we had to wear our life preservers and stand out on the deck. We were shown where the life boats are in case we have to get on one. While going through the drill, I noticed a manta ray jumping out of the water, twice. The guide told me that mantas will usually jump two times and they do it to remove parasites from their skin. We then took the dinghies over to Bartholemew Island to snorkel and hike. The snorkeling was incredible! We saw pufferfish (including a bright yellow one), a large ray (about 4 feet across), a 6 foot white-tipped shark, sea lions, green sea turtles, angel fish, trigger fish, and so many other amazing fish. I floated a few feet above the shark for about 5 minutes and just watched it. I did not feel any fear. After snorkeling, we hiked to the top of the volcano on the island. It was a steep hike up the lava, but it was really beautiful. Along the way, we saw lava cactus. At the top of the mountain, everyone sang happy birthday to me. It was so silly and sweet. We had a beautiful dinner (they even served turkey!) and then, all of a sudden, the whole crew came out singing happy birthday and carrying a cake. We went out on deck to look at the gazillion stars and then came in to learn how to salsa dance. It was a great night.
Friday – Isabella and Fernandino Islands
This morning we got up early for breakfast and then got on the dinghies to head to Isabella Island. There we took a hike around the island. We saw baby land tortoises (about 10 – 15 years old) along the way. After the sun came out we saw land iguanas sunning themselves near their nests. The iguanas dig holes in the ground and come out to get warm and to eat. We saw the Galapagos finches, mockingbirds, and other song birds. We snorkeled in the cove on Isabella island. A few minutes after getting into the water we saw three green sea turtles hanging out by the rocks. I floated around and swam with them for about half and hour. It was so amazing being with them. The turtles were aware of us, but did not seem to mind us there. Oh, did I mention they were huge?!?! The biggest one was about 5 or 6 feet long.
In the afternoon, we met with our groups to plan our school visits and lessons. Then we went to Fernandino Island to hike. Right after getting off the boat we saw green sea turtles mating in the water. Nearby the sea lions showing off. The dominant male sea lion guards the beach and keeps the other males away. The females hang out on the beach to warm up and take care of their babies. We saw baby sea lions nursing. One the babies seemed to be alone. Our guide said that the mother is out fishing and will return, but I was still worried about it. Especially when I saw another baby sea lion dead on the beach. It is hard to walk away and let nature take its course. We saw thousands more marine iguanas on the rocks and swimming in the surf. There was a pair of Galapagos hawks hanging around near us, also. They grab young iguanas and eat them, but they leave the big iguanas alone.
Fast Facts Ecuador Learn about the people, economy and history.
