Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Antisana.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Antisana.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Antisana.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Synonyms

Antizana

Thermal

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Quebrada del Azufre Grande

Thermal

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

352030

1802 CE

5,753 m / 18,875 ft

0.481°S
78.141°W

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Composite

Volcano Types
Stratovolcano
Caldera(s)

Rock Types

Major
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Dacite

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zone
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

232
2,220
56,154
3,314,142

Geological Summary

Antisana is a massive, glacier-covered stratovolcano NE of Cotopaxi, along the western margin of the Eastern Cordillera, 50 km SE of Quito. An older edifice forming the east side of the volcano was constructed over granitic and metasedimentary rocks and is itself overtopped on its NW side by the current edifice. Viscous lava flows have issued from radial fissures on the flanks. A lava flow was erupted from a vent NNE of the summit during 1801-1802.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Barragan R, Geist D, Hall M, Larson P, Kurz M, 1998. Subduction controls on the compositions of lavas from the Ecuadorian Andes. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 154: 153-166.

Bourdon E, Eissen J-P, Monzier M, Robin C, Martin H, Cotten J, Hall M L, 2002. Adakite-like lavas from Antisana volcano (Ecuador): evidence for slab metasomatism beneath the Andean Northern Volcanic Zone. J Petr, 43: 199-217.

Hall M L, 1977. El Volcanismo en El Ecuador. Quito: Biblioteca Ecuador, 120 p.

Hall M L, 1992. (pers. comm.).

Hall M L, Wood C A, 1985. Volcano-tectonic segmentation of the northern Andes. Geology 13:203-207.

Hantke G, Parodi I, 1966. Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields, Rome: IAVCEI, 19: 1-73.

IAVCEI, 1973-80. Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World. IAVCEI Data Sheets, Rome: Internatl Assoc Volc Chemistry Earth's Interior.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 2 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

1801 (?) - 1802 May (?) Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2

Episode 1 | Eruption

Volcano Uncertain: possibly Reventador

1801 (?) - 1802 May (?)

Evidence from Unknown

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at Volcano Uncertain: possibly Reventador

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
- - - -	- - - -	Lava dome	Uncertain
1802 Apr (?)	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

1748 (in or before) Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2 (?)

Episode 1 | Eruption

Volcano Uncertain: possibly Reventador

1748 (in or before) - Unknown

Evidence from Unknown

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Volcano Uncertain: possibly Reventador

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
	1748 (in or before)	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

[ 1728 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

1728 - Unknown

Evidence from Unknown

List of 2 Events for Episode 1

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
	1728	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Antisana.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Antisana.

Photo Gallery

The floor of the massive Chacana caldera is seen here in the foreground, looking SE with glacier-covered Antisana volcano in the distance. Chacana is a 32 x 24 km caldera complex of Pliocene-Holocene age. Its outer flanks extend over 50 km, making it one of the largest rhyolitic centers of the northern Andes. Numerous lava domes were constructed within the caldera, which has been the source of frequent Holocene explosive eruptions. Dacitic lava flows were erupted during the 18th century and numerous hot springs are found on the caldera floor.

Photo by Minard Hall, 1976 (Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito).

Massive, 5753-m-high Antisana volcano is seen here from its SW on the northern flank of Cotopaxi volcano. The glacier-clad Antisana was constructed immediately SE of Chacana caldera, the largest rhyolitic center of the northern Andes, which lies beyond the jagged ridge left of Antisana. The only unequivocal historical eruption of Antisana occurred in 1801-02 from a vent NNE of the summit.

Photo by John Ewert, 1992 (U.S. Geological Survey).

Antisana is a massive, glacier-covered stratovolcano NE of Cotopaxi. The 1.4 x 1.8 km summit crater, seen here from the north, is breached to the SE. Viscous, youthful block lava flows have issued from radial fissures on the flanks of 5753-m-high Antisana. The only unequivocal historical eruption took place from 1801 to 1802. Eighteenth-century eruptions occurred NW of Antisana within Chacana caldera, which lies beneath the cloud bank in the foreground.

Photo by Minard Hall, 1975 (Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito).

Antisana volcano is one of four massive glacier-covered stratovolcanoes constructed along a N-S line at the western edge of Ecuador's Cordillera Real. Its summit crater is breached to the SE, behind the summit in this view from the NW. Its only unequivocal historical eruption produced a lava flow from a NNE-flank vent at the beginning of the 19th century.

Photo by Minard Hall, 1979 (Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito).

Volcán Antisana is seen here looking NE from highway E20 in December 2015. Northeast Peak is to the right and the East Ridge is to the left, with a collapse scarp between them.

Photo by Ailsa Naismith, 2015.

GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Antisana in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Antisana. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Antisana. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Antisana

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).