Parícutin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Parícutin |
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Parícutin in 1994
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,800 m (9,200 ft) |
| Prominence | 208 m (682 ft) |
| Geography | |
 Parícutin
Location in Michoacán
Parícutin
Location in Mexico
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| Country | Mexico |
| State | Michoacán |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | 1941–1952 |
| Mountain type | Cinder cone |
| Volcanic belt | Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt |
| Last eruption | 1943 to 1952 |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1943 |
| Easiest route | Hike |
Parícutin is a famous cinder cone volcano in Michoacán, Mexico. It is about 322 kilometers (200 miles) west of Mexico City. This volcano is special because it suddenly appeared in a farmer's cornfield in 1943.
Scientists were very excited because they could study the entire life of a volcano from start to finish. For nine years, from 1943 to 1952, they watched Parícutin grow. They drew maps, collected samples, and took many photos.
By 1952, the volcano had grown to 424 meters (1,391 feet) tall. It covered over 233 square kilometers (90 square miles) with rocks, ash, and lava. Two towns were completely buried by lava, and people had to move. Luckily, everyone was safely evacuated. Three people sadly died from lightning strikes during the eruptions.
Today, Parícutin is a quiet, sleeping volcano. It has become a popular place for tourists to visit. People can climb the volcano and see the old church ruins covered in hardened lava. In 1997, CNN even called Parícutin one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
Contents
What is Parícutin?
Parícutin is in Michoacán, Mexico, about 29 kilometers (18 miles) west of Uruapan. It sits on the side of a larger mountain called Pico de Tancítaro. This area has many old volcanoes and small towns.
Mexico's Volcanic Belt
Parícutin is part of a huge chain of volcanoes called the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. This belt stretches 900 kilometers (560 miles) across central Mexico. It has thousands of small volcanoes, including many cinder cones like Parícutin.
This volcanic activity has created rich, fertile soil. This makes the land great for farming. The volcanoes form because huge pieces of Earth's crust, called tectonic plates, are slowly pushing against each other deep underground.
Parícutin is the newest of about 1,400 volcanoes in the Michoacán-Guanajuato volcanic field. Cinder cones are common here. They pop up quickly, form a steep cone, and then usually become quiet. Another famous cinder cone, El Jorullo, erupted in 1759 in the same region.
A Sleeping Giant
Today, Parícutin's crater is about 200 meters (656 feet) wide. You can climb to the top and walk around it. Even though scientists say it's dormant (sleeping), it's still warm inside. Rainwater seeps in and turns into steam, which you can sometimes see rising from the cone.
The powerful forces that created Parícutin are still active deep below. In 1997, there were 230 small earthquakes in the area. In 2006, over 300 earthquakes happened near the volcano. These quakes show that magma (molten rock) is still moving underground, but Parícutin has not erupted again.
How Parícutin Was Born
Parícutin erupted for nine years, from 1943 to 1952. This was quite long for a volcano of its type. Before it erupted, people in the area heard strange noises. It sounded like thunder, but there were no clouds in the sky. These sounds were actually caused by magma (molten rock) moving deep underground.
Scientists later found that 21 earthquakes, each stronger than magnitude 3.2, happened five weeks before the eruption. A week before, there were 25-30 quakes daily. The day before the eruption, about 300 earthquakes shook the ground!
The Day the Earth Opened
The eruption started on February 20, 1943, around 4:00 PM. It began in a cornfield owned by a farmer named Dionisio Pulido. He and his family were working, getting ready to plant crops. Suddenly, the ground nearby swelled up. A crack, about 2 to 2.5 meters (6.5 to 8 feet) wide, opened in the earth.
Dionisio heard hissing sounds. He saw smoke that smelled like rotten eggs. This smell came from a gas called hydrogen sulfide. Within hours, this crack grew into a small crater.
Dionisio Pulido later described what he saw:
At 4 p.m., I left my wife to set fire to a pile of branches when I noticed that a crack, which was situated on one of the knolls of my farm, had opened . . . and I saw that it was a kind of fissure that had a depth of only half a meter. I set about to ignite the branches again when I felt a thunder, the trees trembled, and I turned to speak to Paula; and it was then I saw how, in the hole, the ground swelled and raised itself 2 or 2.5 meters high, and a kind of smoke or fine dust – grey, like ashes – began to rise up in a portion of the crack that I had not previously seen . . . Immediately more smoke began to rise with a hiss or whistle, loud and continuous; and there was a smell of sulfur.
He quickly looked for his family and oxen, but they were gone. He rode his horse to town and found them safe.
Rapid Growth of the Volcano
The volcano grew incredibly fast. Celedonio Gutiérrez saw the first night's eruption:
…when night began to fall, we heard noises like the surge of the sea, and red flames of fire rose into the darkened sky, some rising 800 meters or more into the air, that burst like golden marigolds, and a rain like fireworks fell to the ground.
On that first day, the volcano started throwing out hot rocks and ash. Within 24 hours, a cone 50 meters (164 feet) high had formed! This cone was made of small rock fragments called lapilli and larger, hot rocks called volcanic bombs. By the end of the first week, the cone was already 100 to 150 meters (328 to 492 feet) tall. Soon, the entire valley was covered in smoke and ash.
Eruption Phases of Parícutin
Parícutin's nine years of activity had four main stages. These stages have names from the local Purépecha language.
First Phase: Quitzocho (February to October 1943)
This phase focused on the cracks in the Cuiyusuro Valley. It was when the first cone began to form. The volcano mostly shot out small rocks (lapilli) and volcanic bombs. By March, the eruptions became very powerful, sending ash columns kilometers high. In just four months, the cone reached 200 meters (656 feet) tall. By eight months, it was 365 meters (1,198 feet) high. Lava also started flowing. On June 12, lava moved towards the village of Parícutin, forcing people to leave the next day.
Second Phase: Sapichi (October 1943 to January 1944)
Sapichi means "child." This phase saw new openings on the north side of the cone. Ash and bombs continued to fly out. New lava flows headed towards the town of San Juan Parangaricutiro. This forced everyone to leave that town permanently. By August, lava and ash completely covered the town. Only the top of the main church could still be seen.
The lava moved slowly, so everyone from Parícutin and San Juan was safely evacuated. No lives were lost during these moves. These first two phases lasted just over a year. They created most of the volcano's final height and ejected over 90% of its material. Ash from Parícutin even reached as far as Mexico City!
Third Phase: Taqué-Ahuan (January 1944 to January 1945)
This phase involved new cracks forming on the south side of the cone. The volcano's center also became more active. Lava flows during this time mostly went to the west and northwest. A flat-topped hill, now called Los Hornitos, also formed to the south.
Final Years (1945 to 1952)
For the next seven years, the volcano became less active. It would sometimes shoot out ash, rocks, and lava, with quiet times in between. Most scientists left the area in 1948. Only Celedonio Gutiérrez continued to watch the volcano. The last big burst of activity happened in January and February 1952. Several eruptions occurred, sending a smoke column three kilometers (1.8 miles) into the sky.
Studying Parícutin's Eruption
Parícutin was incredibly important for science. It was the first time volcanologists could study a volcano's entire life cycle. Scientists from all over the world came to Mexico. The main researchers were William F. Foshag from the Smithsonian Institution and Dr. Jenaro González Reyna from the Mexican government.
They arrived about a month after the eruption started and stayed for years. They wrote detailed notes, drew maps, and took thousands of photos and samples. Many of these are still used by scientists today. Foshag continued to study the volcano until he passed away in 1956. Between 1943 and 1948, almost 50 scientific articles were published about Parícutin. This worldwide effort helped us understand how cinder cone volcanoes form.
Impact on People and the Land
Even during World War II, Parícutin caught the world's attention. Reporters from magazines like Life came to cover the story. Later, airline pilots would point out the erupting volcano to their passengers.
Hollywood films, like Captain from Castile and Garden of Evil, used the volcano as a backdrop. Mexican artists, including Dr Atl and Diego Rivera, were also inspired by its power.
After the Eruption
The eruptions ended in 1952. The volcano left behind a cone 424 meters (1,391 feet) tall. It destroyed or badly damaged an area of 233 square kilometers (90 square miles). Most plants within several kilometers of the crater were gone. Lava covered 26 square kilometers (10 square miles), and volcanic sand covered 52 square kilometers (20 square miles).
The town of Parícutin, which had 733 people, is now completely gone. Of San Juan Parangaricutiro, with 1,895 people, only parts of its main church remain. These church ruins stick out from the hardened lava.
No one died directly from the lava or ash. However, three people were killed by lightning during the powerful eruptions. The eruption mainly affected five towns in two areas: San Juan Parangaricutiro and Los Reyes. Besides the two towns buried, Zacan, Angahuan, and Zirosto were also heavily impacted.
New Homes and New Life
The biggest impact on people was the disruption to their lives and farms. Hundreds of people had to move permanently. Before leaving his farm for the last time, Dionisio Pulido put up a sign that said: "This volcano is owned and operated by Dionisio Pulido."
The people from the two destroyed towns first moved to camps near Uruapan. Later, new towns were created for them. For example, much of San Juan Parangaricutiro's population moved to a new place, now called San Juan Nuevo.
The area's economy was, and still is, mostly farming. The people are mainly Purépecha. The volcano's fame brought more visitors and changes to the region.
Parícutin Today: A Tourist Spot
The volcano has become a popular tourist attraction. The main way to visit is from Angahuan, where the volcano is clearly visible. The town offers guides and horses to visit the church ruins and climb the volcano.
Parícutin is part of the Pico de Tancítaro National Park. You can mostly reach it on horseback. The last few hundred meters to the top are very steep and must be climbed on foot. A guide is needed because the path goes through forests, agave fields, and avocado groves.
Many visitors just go to see the church ruins. They are easier to reach and are still a pilgrimage site. The old altar often has fresh candles and flowers. Nearby, you can find stands selling local food and souvenirs.
The story of Parícutin's birth is also told in the children's book Hill of Fire by Thomas P. Lewis, published in 1983.
See also
In Spanish: Paricutín para niños
- List of volcanoes in Mexico
- Shōwa-shinzan
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 | Laura Wheeler Waring |
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