Sangay
| Sangay | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,300 m (17,400 ft) |
| Prominence | 1,588 m (5,210 ft) |
| Listing | Ultra |
| Coordinates | 2°0′9″S 78°20′27″W / 2.00250°S 78.34083°WCoordinates: 2°0′9″S 78°20′27″W / 2.00250°S 78.34083°W |
| Naming | |
| Translation | The Frightener (Quechua) |
| Pronunciation | [saŋˈɡai] |
| Geography | |
 Sangay
|
|
| Location | Ecuador |
| Parent range | Andes |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
| Volcanic arc/belt | North Volcanic Zone |
| Last eruption | 1934 to present |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | August 4, 1929 |
| Easiest route | Rock/Snow climb |
Sangay (also known as Macas, Sanagay, or Sangai) is an active stratovolcano in central Ecuador. It is the most active volcano in Ecuador, despite erupting only three times in recorded history, because the eruption that started in 1934 is still ongoing. It exhibits mostly strombolian activity. Geologically, Sangay marks the southern boundary of the Northern Volcanic Zone, and its position straddling two major pieces of crust accounts for its high level of activity. Sangay's approximately 500,000-year-old history is one of instability; two previous versions of the mountain were destroyed in massive flank collapses, evidence of which still litters its surroundings today.
Due to its remoteness, Sangay hosts a significant biological community with fauna such as the mountain tapir, giant otter, Andean cock-of-the-rock and king vulture. Since 1983, its ecological community has been protected as part of the Sangay National Park. Although climbing the mountain is hampered by its remoteness, poor weather conditions, river flooding, and the danger of falling ejecta, the volcano is regularly climbed, a feat first achieved by Robert T. Moore in 1929.
Lying at the eastern edge of the Andean cordillera, Sangay was formed by volcanic processes associated with the subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate at the Peru–Chile Trench. It is the southernmost volcano in the Northern Volcanic Zone, a subgroup of Andean volcanoes whose northern limit is Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia.
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Wikipedia