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Sumaco   »  Summary

Sumaco

Sumaco Photo

Country:Ecuador
Subregion Name:Ecuador
Volcano Number:1502-04=
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Volcano Status:Historical
Last Known Eruption: 1895 ± 30 years
Summit Elevation: 3990 m 13,090 feet
Latitude: 0.538°S 0°32'17"S
Longitude: 77.626°W 77°37'33"W

The forested Sumaco stratovolcano rises 2800 m above the jungles of the western Amazon basin, east of Antisana volcano, and occupies an isolated position far to the east of the main Andes volcanic axis. Constructed over Cretaceous sedimentary rocks, 3990-m-high Sumaco forms a relatively symmetrical cone in an area of heavy rainfall and erosion. Sumaco has produced alkaline tephritic, basanitic, and phonolitic rocks distinct from those of the main Andean chain. The volcano has a broad summit crater, 300 x 400 m wide, containing a central cone. Reports of historical eruptions are somewhat ambiguous; an eruption is inferred in the 18th or early-19th century on the basis of changes in crater morphology.

Global Volcanism ProgramDepartment of Mineral SciencesNational Museum of Natural HistorySmithsonian Institution

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