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Cerro Azul, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador Cerro Azul is a shield volcano located on Isla Isabela in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. It has erupted eight times in recorded history. Isabela Island is the largest in the Galapagos, and is the home to about 1,000 people. The nearest village to the volcano is about 30 miles (50 km) away. There has been a 20 year period of inactivity at Cerro Azul leading up to this current activity. October 5, 1998 Lava flows from Cerro Azul continue to travel towards the nesting areas of the Galapagos' endangered giant tortoises. Only 72 of these tortoises remain in existance today, and one of these tortoises was killed by the flow last Thursday. Officials continued to evacuate the endangered animals to save them from the path of the deadly flow. September 18, 1998 The September 16-17 eruption of Cerro Azul is believed to have occurred in 2-3 vents. The main vent is on the ESE slope of the volcano, and one or two active vents are located within the caldera. A lava flow from the eruption at the ESE vent has stretched 5 miles (8 km) to the east. Two flows were also observed within the caldera. These flows have reached the crater lake, and are about 1.25 miles (2 km) long. Small fires have occurred on the eastern flank of the volcano due to the lava flows. These fires and the flow itself have caused the destruction of about 7 square km. The main flow crosses an area inhabited by Galapagos toroises, but has not threatened nesting sites. The flow is currently moving towards a nesting area, but is 2.5 miles (4 km) away at this time. About 7% of the tortoise habitat has been affected by this eruption thus far. September 15, 1998 A satellite detected an eruption at Cerro Azul volcano on September 15. The eruption is occurring on the SW flank of the volcano. Two plumes have been detected during this eruption. One extends aproximately 31 miles (50 km) to the SW and the other, a V-shaped plume, extends about 28 miles (45 km) to the NW. While not threatening any human populations at this time, this eruption is occurring very close to the nesting zones of endangered Galapagos tortoises. |
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