Pululahua
| Pululahua | ||
|---|---|---|
 View to Cerro Pondoña and Rumiloma |
||
| height | 3356 m | |
| location | Pichincha , Ecuador | |
| Mountains | To the | |
| Coordinates | 0 ° 2 '55 " N , 78 ° 29' 39" W | |
|
||
| Type | Caldera | |
| Age of the rock | quaternary | |
| Last eruption | approx. 300 BC Chr | |
| particularities | populated crater | |
The Pululahua is a caldera in the Ecuadorian Andes ( Cordillera Occidental ). The highest point of the caldera is Cerro Sincholagua at 3356 m on the south-eastern rim of the crater. The highest point in the interior of the caldera - the Loma Pondoña (a lava dome ) - has a height of 2975 m. The only volcanic cone - the Rumiloma with 2769 m - connects to the east of the Loma Podoña. The caldera has a diameter of about 3 km at the bottom and opens to the west, where the Río Blanco flows away. The eastern area of the caldera is populated and used for agriculture. The caldera is part of the Reserva Geobotánica Pululahua, which includes the entire caldera and areas north of it.
history
During the Quaternary resulted from successive ejection of pyroclastic material of the stratovolcano Pululahua. The base diameter was about 5–6 km. After the magma chamber collapsed, today's caldera was formed. During a subsequent phase of activity, the Rumiloma crater formed, which was subsequently partially destroyed by the formation of 2 lava domes. The Loma Pondoña is the younger of the said lava domes. After the glaciers retreated during the last glacial period , a lagoon formed in the eastern area of the caldera, but nothing can be seen today.
Location and surroundings
The caldera is located in the municipalities of Calacalí and San Antonio de Pichincha of the Municipio del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito , Pichincha Province .
Routes
In the south-east of the caldera there is a hiking trail that leads from a viewing platform to the bottom of the crater. There is a road in the western area, which branches off the E28 to the north.
Web links
- Pululahua in the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution (English)
- quito.com.ec (Spanish)
- ambiente.gob.ec (Spanish)