Volcano Type: Volcanic field
Volcano Status: Radiocarbon
Last Known Eruption: 400 AD ± 100 years
Summit Elevation: 3930+ m 12,894 feet
Latitude: 19.08°N * 19°5’0″N
Longitude: 99.13°W 99°8’0″W
The massive Chichinautzin volcanic field covers a 90-km-long, E-W-trending area immediately south of Mexico City. The Sierra Chichinautzin, formed primarily of overlapping small cinder cones and shield volcanoes, creates a broad topographic barrier at the southern end of the Basin of Mexico that extends from the eastern flank of Nevado de Toluca to the western flank of Iztaccíhuatl volcano. The volcanic field contains more than 220 Pleistocene-to-Holocene monogenetic vents. The best-known eruption occurred about 1670 radiocarbon years ago from the Xitle scoria cone, NE of the Volcán Ajusco lava-dome complex, which at 3930 m forms the highest peak of the Sierra Chichinautzin. The Xitle eruption produced a massive basaltic tube-fed lava flow that covered agricultural lands as well as pyramids and other structures of Cuicuilco and adjacent prehispanic urban centers. The southern part of Mexico City and the National University of México lie atop the distal end of the 13-km-long lava flow.
Chichinautzin
The volcanic filed is located 36 km south of Mexico City. The volcano consists of cinder cones and shield volcanoes. A 13 km long lava flow reaches Mexico City. The volcanic field extends over a length of 90 km. Sierra Chichinautzin Volcanic Field is located at the southern limit of the Mexico Basin, and is situated between two stratovolcanoes: Popocatepetl and Nevado de Toluca. Eruptions at the volcano have produced pyroclastic deposits from Strombolian activity, although a few have characteristics of Surtseyan-type eruptions. The activity that produced lava cones may be transitional to Hawaiian-type eruptions.
Sierra Chichinautzin Volcanic Field
The lengths of lava flows range from 1 to 21.5 km with thicknesses between 0.5 m and 300 m. Cone heights range from 10 to 315 m and diameters from 50 to 750 m. The volcanic field contains Tlaloc, Tlacotenco, Cuauhtzin, Hijo del Cuauhtzin, Teuhtli, and Ocusacayo monogenetic volcanoes. There are also almost 200 cones which are both scoria and hydromagmatic. There are 10 lava domes in the field.
Chichinautzin (Cynthia Barrera)
Crater of Chichinautzin (Cynthia Barrera)
Crater of Chichinautzin (Cynthia Barrera)
Crater of Chichinautzin (Cynthia Barrera)
Crater of the volcano
Originally posted 2010-08-26 04:52:22.
