Activity intensifies at Reventador volcano

Ecuador’s Geophysical Institute (IG) reported Sunday that lava flows were visible on the flanks of the Reventador volcano and that an “intensification process is underway.”

Volcan Reventador

Although the volcano poses no immediate threat to populated areas, IG said a major eruption could have a “significant impact” on the northern half of Ecuador, particularly on Quito. A 2002 eruption blanketed much of Quito in ash and shut down air travel throughout the country for a week.

Reventador is located 90 kilometers east of Quito on the fringes of the Amazon jungle and is 3,560 meters (11,680 feet) in altitude.

“Reventador maintains a state of high and continuous eruptive activity,” the IG says. “A major eruption, such as the one in 2002, is a strong possibility and we ask all interests in the area to remain on alert.”