Reventador volcano begins new phase of eruption

The Reventador  volcano entered a new eruptive phase on Tuesday, Ecuador’s Institute of Geophysics (IGP) reported. Begining at 3 p.m. local time, small earthquakes were recorded and steady ash emissions were observed.

Tuesday night, incandescent blocks could be seen and heard rolling down from the crater, and indication that a new law dome was forming inside the mountain.

Small pyroclastic flows descended on the eastern, southeastern and southern flanks of the volcano, probably as a result of re-mobilization of fresh lava and tephra deposits. These so-called secondary pyroclastic flows reached lengths of 500 meters below the summit.

IGP says the most likely scenario for the new eruptive episode is that activity continues at similar levels for at least several days. So far, lava avalanches and pyroclastic flows have been confined within the caldera and near the flanks of the main cone.

Reventador is located in the jungle highlands, east of Quito, and is not a threat to any population centers.