Idea #700 – Climbing the slopes of Pacaya volcano
Guatemala is near the boundaries of several tectonic plates, and the country has thirty-seven volcanoes, three of which are active on a line North West-South East, in the south of the country. Pacaya is one of those three active volcanoes. It rises to 2,552 meters above sea level. After being asleep for nearly a century, he violently erupted in 1961; since then, his activity has been relatively constant. The Pacaya again entered an eruptive phase from July 19, 2004 to October 28, 2010, projecting lava, smoke and ash, which amounted to 1,000 meters. Still visible lava flows still radiate a heat of 300 to 400 ° C, through cracks in the surface basalt crust. The air is blurred, with hot flashes; the use of a guide is necessary to avoid melting the soles of his shoes or to finish like a Marshmallow, soft and melted in this natural oven.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Volcan de Pacaya, Guatemala
