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.
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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.
Fast Facts Ecuador Learn about the people, economy and history.
