Ubinas Volcano

About Ubinas Volcano:

• Location:
  • Ubinas is a stratovolcano located in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes.
  • It is one of the most active volcanoes in Peru, with more than 26 eruptive episodes recorded in the last 500 years.
  • The Ubinas volcano is part of a group of seven volcanoes in southern Peru located within a volcanic zone that extends from southern Peru to northern Chile.
• The affected area is situated within the "Ring of Fire," a region encompassing the edges of the Pacific Ocean that is renowned for its volcanic activity and seismic events, such as earthquakes.
• The upper portion of the volcano is made from lava flows from the Pleistocene.
• The depression (caldera) at the summit contains a cone of volcanic ash sporting a vent shaped like a funnel.

What is a Stratovolcano?

• The stratovolcano is a tall, steep, and cone-shaped type of volcano.
• Unlike flat shield volcanoes like in Hawaii, they have higher peaks. At the peak, stratovolcanoes usually have a small crater.
• Stratovolcanoes build up on height by layering lava, ash and tephra. By definition, they have alternating layers of pyroclastic and lava.
• When ash falls or lava flows, it solidifies and makes a narrower cone.
• Strato Volcanoes comprise the largest percentage (~60%) of the Earth's individual volcanoes.
• Strato volcanoes are usually about half-half lava and pyroclastic material, and the layering of these products gives them their other common name of composite volcanoes.