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Pululagua Volcano | John Seach
Ecuador
0.038 N, 78.463 W
summit elevation 3356 m
Caldera
Pululagua volcano is located 15 km north of Quito. It is an irregularly shaped caldera with an area of about
19 sq km. The caldera is breached on the west along
the Rio Blanco valley. The caldera is surrounded by a group of older lava domes.
Pyroclastic deposits from the volcano overlie artifacts of the Cotocollao archaeological site located in the northern Quito. Excavations indicate that the site was in use for more than 1000 years until 2450 years ago and was thereafter suddenly abandoned dur to eruptions of the volcano.
Fallout deposits consist of seven plinian pumice layers with intercalated ash beds, each with a thickness less than 1 m. Repeated downwind fallouts from Pululagua volcano has severe effects on human communities as far as the slopes of the Western Cordillera and up to 150-200 km toward the coast of Ecuador.
A complex sequence of Plinian volcanic eruptions led to caldera collapse 2450 years ago.
Further reading
Padrón, Eleazar, et al. "Diffuse CO2 emission rate from Pululahua and the lake-filled Cuicocha calderas, Ecuador." Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 176.1 (2008): 163-169.
Pululagua Volcano Eruptions
~450 BC