IG characterized the ongoing eruption at Reventador as moderate during 23-30 August. Gas-and-ash plumes, observed with webcams or reported by the Washington VAAC, rose as high as 1.6 km above the summit and drifted in multiple directions. Crater incandescence was visible on most nights and often during early morning hours. Incandescent blocks were visible rolling 500 m down the NE flank during 24-25 August and 600 m down all flanks during 28-29 August.

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)