Popocate'petl
Popocate'petl is a volcano found in Mexico that I have been following for 3 months. It is the result of a continental-oceanic plate convergence (fig. 1). When the oceanic lithosphere (the Rivera and Cocos plates) collide with the continental lithosphere (the North American plate), the oceanic plate will descend into the subduction zone. Subduction zones generate a lot of igneous magma that rises to the surface to form volcanic mountains. I will discuss the geologic history of Popocate'petl, the subduction of the Cocos and Rivera plates, and the most current eruptions of Popocate'petl. Fig. 1. Oceanic-continental convergence Popocate'petl is a 5,465-meter andesitic stratovolcano that is located 19.02 degrees north and 98.62 degrees west. It is approximately 55 km east of Mexico City and 45 km east of Puebla (Fig. 2). The volcano covers 500 square kilometers and has a 900-meter crater that is 200 meters deep. Popocate'petl means "Smoking Mountain," in the Aztec language of Nahuatl (Dunlap, 1996). It is the second highest peak in Mexico and is one of the country's most volatile volcanoes (Dunlap, 1996).
Climbing has since been restricted. 5 km above Popo's crater, drifting to the north west" (USGS, 2001). " Geological HistoryLittle is known about the early geologic history of Popo. More that 8,000 tons of ash fell over the Puebla Valley, which caused the evacuation of 19 villages (50,000 people) east of Popo. The volcano has since then been put under close "observation by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Institute of Geophysics and Seismology, and the United States Geologic Survey (USGS) Volcano Disaster Assistance Program" (Dunlap, 1996). At its top is a large 250-meter deep crater with vertical walls, which seem to have changed little in the last hundred years (Rogers). The last sequence of eruptions began early on December 21, 1994. Popocate'petl is in the middle of the TMVB implying that the crust dips approximately "15 degrees" at that point (Flueh et al. Popocate'petl has also produced several Plinian type eruptions, and there are records of at least three enormous ones in the past 5,000 years (Ray, 2001). During January 18-29 of 1999 there were intermittent gas and ash plumes (Reyna et al. Subduction of Cocos & Rivera PlatesPopocate'petl is part of the Trans-Mexico Volcano Belt (TMVB) (fig. During February and March of 1999, there were intermittent explosions and ash clouds (Reyna et al. The June 30, 1997 eruption is the largest recorded in the current episode initiated in 1994.
Common topics in this essay:
Program Dunlap,
February March,
History Little,
Coccos Rivera,
Rogers Popocate'petl,
Pacific Rise,
Nahuatl Dunlap,
February Reyna,
Romero October,
North American,
et al,
reyna et al,
reyna et,
et al 2001,
al 2001,
dunlap 1996,
rivera plates,
johnson 1991,
siebe et al,
siebe et,
subduction cocos rivera,
airwise 2001,
cocos rivera plates,
cocos rivera,
subduction cocos,
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