Global Volcanism Program

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

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

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

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

Quirotoa | Quilatoa

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

352060

1280 CE

3,914 m / 12,841 ft

0.8592°S
78.9044°W

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Caldera

Volcano Types
Caldera
Lava dome(s)

Rock Types

Major
Dacite

Minor
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zone
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

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

40,429
40,429
124,306
4,333,779

Geological Summary

Quilotoa is a truncated, dacitic cone in the Western Cordillera of Ecuador, 35 km WNW of the city of Latacunga, that contains a 3-km-wide caldera with steep-sided walls that rise 400 m above the surface of 240-m-deep caldera lake. Multiple lava domes are present along the caldera's perimeter. This small volcano has produced eight major explosive eruptions during the past 200,000 years. Its most recent major eruption about 800 radiocarbon years ago produced voluminous pyroclastic flows, lahars that reached the Pacific Ocean, and one of the largest airfall-tephra deposits of the northern Andes. Formation of the caldera was followed by extrusion of a small lava dome. Reports of observed eruptions from the caldera lake are somewhat ambiguous. Fumaroles are present on the lake floor and hot springs occur on the E flank.

References

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

Di Muro A, Rosi M, Aguilera E, Barbieri R, Massa G, Mundula F, Pieri F, 2008. Transport and sedimentation dynamics of transitional explosive eruption columns: the example of the 800 BP Quilotoa plinian eruption (Ecuador). Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 174: 307-324.

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

Hall M L, Mothes P A, 2008. Quilotoa volcano--Ecuador: an overview of young dacitic volcanism in a lake-filled caldera. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 176: 44-55.

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.

Mothes P A, Hall M L, 2008. The plinian fallout associated with Quilotoa's 800 yr BP eruption, Ecuadorian Andes. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 176: 56-69.

Rosi M, Di Muro A, Aguilera E, 2006. Eruptive dynamics during the 800 yr BP Quilotoa eruption. IAVCEI Commission on Explosive Volcanism Field Workshop, Cities on Volcanoes 4, Quito, Ecuador 23-27 Jan, 2006, 30 p.

Rosi M, Landi P, Polacci M, Di Muro A, Zandomeneghi D, 2004. Role of conduit shear on ascent of the crystal-rich magma feeding the 800-year-B.P. Plinian eruption of Quilotoa volcano (Ecuador). Bull Volcanol, 66: 307-321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-003-0312-z

Sapper K, 1917. Katalog der Geschichtlichen Vulkanausbruche. Strasbourg: Karl J Trubner, 358 p.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 1 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

[ 1797 Feb 4 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

1797 Feb 4 - Unknown

Evidence from Unknown

List of 1 Events for Episode 1

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Earthquakes (undefined)	Time and Type Unknown.

[ 1759 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

1759 - Unknown

Evidence from Unknown

List of 2 Events for Episode 1

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion	Uncertain
	1759	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

[ 1740 Dec ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

1740 Dec - Unknown

Evidence from Unknown

List of 4 Events for Episode 1

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion	Uncertain
- - - -	- - - -	Fauna Kill	Terrestrial.
- - - -	- - - -	Property Damage
1740 Dec	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

[ 1725 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

1725 - Unknown

Evidence from Unknown

List of 4 Events for Episode 1

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion	Uncertain
- - - -	- - - -	Flames
- - - -	- - - -	Deformation (inflation)	Uncertain
1725	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

[ 1660 Nov 28 ] Discredited Eruption

1280 (?) Confirmed Eruption VEI: 6

Episode 1 | Eruption

1280 (?) - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 9 Events for Episode 1

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Phreatic activity
- - - -	- - - -	Phreatomagmatic
- - - -	- - - -	Pyroclastic flow
- - - -	- - - -	Lava dome
- - - -	- - - -	Caldera	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Lahar or Mudflow
- - - -	- - - -	Property Damage
1280 (?)	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Quilotoa.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Quilotoa.

Photo Gallery

Quilotoa is a truncated, forested dacitic cone containing a steep-walled, 3-km-wide caldera filled by a 250-m-deep lake. Lava domes form the caldera's perimeter and occupy its floor. Its most recent large eruption about 800 years ago produced voluminous pyroclastic flows, lahars that reached the Pacific Ocean, and one of the largest airfall-tephra deposits of the northern Andes. Reports of historical eruptions from the caldera lake are somewhat ambiguous. Fumaroles are present on the lake floor and hot springs occur on the eastern flank.

Photo by Minard Hall, 1973 (Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito).

The 3-km-wide Quilotoa caldera resulted from several collapse events and contains a turquoise lake approximately 250 m deep. Intrusions and lava domes are exposed within the crater walls, with the largest being 1.3 km diameter and 400 m high in the ESE wall visible on the far side of this 2015 photo. Behind the caldera rim is the Interandean Valley.

Photo by Ailsa Naismith, 2015.

The Quilotoa caldera walls rise around 400 m above the lake, exposing the rocks that formed the previous edifice and intrusions that pushed through them. The high point to the right is the SE lava dome. Bathymetry suggests that several events formed the caldera, with an older and deeper western caldera.

Photo by Ailsa Naismith, 2015.

GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

The maps shown below have been scanned from the GVP map archives and include the volcano on this page. Clicking on the small images will load the full 300 dpi map. Very small-scale maps (such as world maps) are not included.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Quilotoa 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 Quilotoa. 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 Quilotoa. 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 Quilotoa

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).