Sangay

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Sangay
West side of the volcano in January 2006

West side of the volcano in January 2006

height 5230  m
location Ecuador
Mountains Andes , Royal Cordillera
Dominance 79.61 km →  Chimborazo
Notch height 1614 m
Coordinates 2 ° 0 ′ 9 ″  S , 78 ° 20 ′ 27 ″  W Coordinates: 2 ° 0 ′ 9 ″  S , 78 ° 20 ′ 27 ″  W
Sangay (Ecuador)
Sangay
Type Stratovolcano
Last eruption 2012 (ongoing)
First ascent 1929
particularities Considered the most active volcano in South America.
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The Sangay is a 5230 m high active volcano in the southeast of Ecuador .

Location and surroundings

The Sangay is located on the eastern edge of the Königskordillere in southeast Ecuador and is the namesake for the Sangay National Park . Its eastern slopes drop into the Amazon basin , in the west borders the Páramo highlands of Ecuador. The landscape around the Sangay is characterized by labyrinthine mountain ridges with unique flora and fauna.

Surname

The name Sangay is mostly traced back to the Kichwa word samkay , which stands for "to frighten". But there are other theories as well.

Volcanic activity

Eruptions on the Sangay

The Sangay is one of the world's volcanoes with the highest continuity of volcanic activity. The volcano has been throwing rocks and ash almost continuously since 1934. Due to the eruptions, which take place every 15 to 60 minutes, the volcanic cone continues to build up. The summit has three craters, with the main crater in the southwest having a diameter of 100 m.

Routes to the summit

Sangay as seen from La Playa camp.

The ascent is technically easy, but not without danger due to the frequent eruptions with stone ejections and subsequent scree avalanches. The usual approach is from the west, starting in Eten or Alao. Up to the base camp at approx. 3600 m ( La Playa , Spanish for “the beach” because of a nearby stream with a flat bank) there are three daily stages through partly demanding terrain with many mountain ridges and river crossings. From the base camp, you first climb in rubber boots over several of the typical ribs in a south-easterly direction to a striking rock at a height of approx. 4200 m ( La Ventana , Spanish for "The window", as this is the first time you can see the Amazon basin) . The further ascent takes place in mountain boots from the south side, initially over scree and snow fields to the edge of the crater. The success of the summit does not only depend on the weather and visibility conditions, but in particular on the current activity of the volcano.

First ascent

On August 4, 1929, the mountain was first climbed by Robert Thomas Moore , Terris Moore, Waddel Austin and Lewis Thorne.

literature

  • Günter Schmudlach: Mountain Guide Ecuador , Köngen: Panico-Alpinverlag 2001, ISBN 3-926807-82-2
  • GE Lewis: El Sangay, fire-breathing giant of the Andes. In: National Geographic . Vol. 98, 1950, pp. 117-138, ISSN  0027-9358
  • R. Snailham: The Sangay tragedy. In: Geographical Magazine . Vol. 50, No. 2, 1977, pp. 129-134
  • Michel Monzier et al .: Sangay volcano, Ecuador. Structural development, present activity and petrology . In: Journal of volcanology and geothermal research . Vol. 90, No. 1, 1999, pp. 49-80, ISSN  0377-0273

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Schmudlach: Bergführer Ecuador 2001, p. 196
  2. ↑ UNEP & WCMC: SANGAY NATIONAL PARK ECUADOR , (last update 2005) PDF  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.unep-wcmc.org  
  3. ^ The American Alpine Journal . Vol. 1, 1930, pp. 228-229.