Instituto Geofísico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG-EPN) reported that an eruption at Reventador was ongoing during 24 September-1 October. Signals from the seismic stations were not transmitted during the first half of the week; during 28 September-1 October seismicity was characterized by 79-105 daily explosions, long-period earthquakes, harmonic tremor, and tremor associated with emissions. Ash-and-gas plumes were observed in webcam images and/or satellite images rising as high as 1.1 km above the crater rim and drifting NW, WNW, and W. Webcams occasionally did not transmit data and weather conditions sometimes obscured views. Thermal anomalies in the crater were identified in satellite images on most days. Secretaría de Gestión de Riesgos maintained the Alert Level at Orange (the second highest level on a four-color scale).

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.

Sources: Instituto Geofísico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG-EPN), Secretaría de Gestión de Riesgos (SGR)