Reventador facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Reventador |
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Cone of Reventador in 2012 (V. Scherrer)
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,562 m (11,686 ft) |
| Prominence | 1,086 m (3,563 ft) |
| Naming | |
| English translation | Exploder |
| Language of name | Spanish |
| Geography | |
 Reventador
Location in Ecuador
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| Parent range | Andes |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano (active) |
| Last eruption | October 1, 2024 (ongoing) |
Reventador is a very active volcano located in the eastern Andes mountains of Ecuador. Its name means "exploder" in Spanish, which is a great description for this powerful mountain! Reventador is found in a faraway part of a national park that shares its name. Since the year 1541, this volcano has erupted more than 25 times. Because it's in such a remote spot, many of its eruptions have happened without anyone reporting them.
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What is Reventador?
Reventador is a type of volcano called a stratovolcano. This means it's shaped like a cone and built up by many layers of hardened lava, volcanic ash, and other volcanic rocks. It's part of a long chain of volcanoes in a mountain range called the Cordillera Real. This chain is located further east than most other volcanoes in the area.
Where is Reventador Located?
This volcano stands tall above the thick jungles of the western Amazon basin. Its sides are covered in dense forests, making it a beautiful but wild place. Reventador has a large bowl-shaped area at its top called a caldera, which is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide. There's a big opening in the caldera wall on the eastern side. This opening was formed when part of the volcano collapsed a long time ago.
Inside this large caldera, there's a newer, smaller stratovolcano. This inner volcano rises about 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) from the caldera floor. This is where most of the volcano's current activity happens. The lava that comes out of Reventador is a type called andesite.
Reventador's Eruptions
Reventador is one of the most active volcanoes in Ecuador. It has a long history of powerful eruptions.
Major Eruptions
The biggest eruption that people have recorded happened in 2002. During this event, a huge cloud of ash and gas shot up from the volcano, reaching an amazing height of 17 kilometers (about 10.5 miles) into the sky! Also, fast-moving flows of hot gas and rock, called pyroclastic flows, rushed down the volcano's sides. These flows traveled as far as 7 kilometers (about 4.3 miles) from the cone.
On March 30, 2007, Reventador erupted again, sending ash about 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) high. Luckily, no one was hurt, and no damage was reported from this eruption.
Ongoing Activity
Reventador's most recent period of continuous eruption started on July 27, 2008. It has been erupting on and off ever since. This means it has had many smaller eruptions without stopping for more than three months at a time.
For example, in 2020, the volcano was almost constantly active. It released clouds of ash nearly every day, rising one or two kilometers into the air. Sometimes, you could see a glow from the crater at night. There were also frequent avalanches of hot, glowing rocks tumbling down its slopes. This ongoing activity shows just how powerful and active Reventador truly is!
See also
In Spanish: Reventador para niños
- List of volcanoes in Ecuador
- List of stratovolcanoes
