IG reported that the seismic network at Reventador recorded multiple explosions during 12-17 March. Observers reported falling and rolling incandescent material on the S flank on 12 March. Explosions produced ash plumes that rose more than 1 km and drifted SW. The next day ash plumes rose as high as 3 km. On 15 and 17 March explosions were detected by the seismic network; cloud cover prevented visual observations. On 16 March an ash plume rose 1 km and drifted W.

Geological Summary. Volcán El Reventador is the most frequently active of a chain of Ecuadorian volcanoes in the Cordillera Real, well east of the principal volcanic axis. The forested, dominantly andesitic stratovolcano has 4-km-wide avalanche scarp open to the E formed by edifice collapse. A young, unvegetated, cone rises from the amphitheater floor to a height comparable to the rim. It has been the source of numerous lava flows as well as explosive eruptions visible from Quito, about 90 km ESE. Frequent lahars in this region of heavy rainfall have left extensive deposits on the scarp slope. The largest recorded eruption took place in 2002, producing a 17-km-high eruption column, pyroclastic flows that traveled up to 8 km, and lava flows from summit and flank vents.

Source: Instituto Geofísico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG-EPN)