Iztaccihuatl Volcano is an inactive volcano located in Mexico. It is the third highest mountain in the country and, together with the famous Popocatépetl Volcano, forms one of the oldest national parks. We invite you to learn more about this fascinating topic!
What is the Iztaccihuatl Volcano?
The Iztaccihuatl Volcano reaches its maximum point at 5.286 meters, it is the third highest mountain in Mexico after its neighbor, the Popocatépetl Volcano of 5.452 meters and the Pico de Orizaba of 5.636 meters.
It is located on the border between the State of Mexico and the State of Puebla, it is one of the most significant sites of the Iztaccihuatl-Popocatépetl natural park, which encompasses an area of many hectares, it is attached to its neighbor, the Popocatépetl volcano, through the Paso de Cortes.
The volcano can often be seen from Mexico City on a clear day and within six craters to explore, along with lots of snow and glaciers, a rare sight in Mexico.
Due to its proximity to Mexico City, as well as its variety of challenging routes, it is recognized as a brilliant choice for mountain climbers who want to train for more challenging climbs in the future, as well as people who want to climb the mountains like beginners.
The Iztaccihuatl is classified in the category of stratovolcanoes, therefore, its geological formation is due to the various eruptions of ash and lava flows that have been superimposed, it has 5 different craters, which are not necessarily visible to the naked eye as they are covered by glaciers.
Asleep today, it is sometimes considered active, reaching its first peak, a strong smell of sulfur is felt, there are also different hot springs that suggest that its magmatic activity still persists in the main bedroom.
Is the volcano active?
Iztaccihuatl, also spelled Ixtaccihuatl, is a dormant volcano located on the Mexico-Puebla state line in central Mexico, the iztaccihuatl it erupted for the last time in 1868, although despite being inactive, experts indicate that it has slight seismic activity.
Features
The Iztaccihuatl Volcano is a stratovolcano that is formed by layers of viscous lava, flow gaps and tephra, the common rock types of this volcano are andesite and dacite, a series of superimposed cones built along a line to the south of the Pleistocene Llano Grande caldera, which forms the summit ridge of the massive 450 km volcano.
The valley walls near the summit vent are covered with tuff flows and beds later than the date of 11.000 years before the current glaciation, the youngest vents are at the summit and in a 5.100 meter depression along the summit ridge midway between the chest and the foot of the volcano.
In 1989 all the summit lavas were considered to be of Pleistocene age, but post-glacial dacitic ventilation was observed on the southern flank of Iztaccihuatl , north of the saddle between it and Popocatépetl.
The growth of Iztaccihuatl was in two phases, the previous phase built a large shield volcano with a summit caldera, cones and lava flows erupted on the flanks of the shield. The youngest phase (less than 600.000 years ago) consists mainly of lava flows and pyroclastic material erupted from the summit of Iztaccihuatl and on the flanks of the volcano.
Why do they call it "The Sleeping Woman"?
Iztaccihuatl is the name that comes from the Nahuatl language used by different pre-Columbian peoples, "Izta" means "white" and "cihuatl" means "woman", literally white woman in the Aztec language. In fact, Iztaccihuatl is made up of four vertices, the head, the chest, the knees and the feet, thus forming the silhouette of a sleeping woman, covered in eternal snow. It is possible, with good weather and reduced pollution, to see it from the Mexico City.
Iztaccihuatl resembles a sleeping woman when viewed from the Valley of Mexico, giving it its name, which means "Woman in White," also referring to the Ayoloco glacier that covers its summit. Geologically, it is the predecessor volcano of Popocatépetl and is now in its final stages of infrequent activity, with some activity occurring less than 11.000 years ago.
The unusual shape of Iztaccihuatl Mountain is the result of volcanic activity and glaciation; the combination of several snowy peaks gave the mountain its name Iztaccihuatl.
In fact, the shape of the mountain is not different from the silhouette of a woman, the main summits of Iztaccihuatl are the different parts of the body, although there is no complete agreement to name the parts of the body.
Very popular with hikers and climbers, the dormant volcano has many different paths that are not too difficult to overcome on foot, although its high altitude can sometimes be a problem. In the south, Iztacciuatl is connected by the alpine pass Paso de Cortés with Popocatepetl, another of the powerful peaks of the Mountains of Mexico.
glaciers in danger
The glacial volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl are located in the highlands of central Mexico.
Iztaccihuatl is an inactive volcano that has recently shown signs of volcanic activity, reflected in gas emissions and seismic activity. The sources of the gas emissions were discovered right next to the mountain's largest glacial body, the Ayoloco Glacier.
The body of the glacier is thawing much faster than in recent years, it is almost certain that the reason for the rapid thawing may also be increased temperatures at the base of the glacier caused by increased volcanic activity, in case In the event of a possible eruption, the very steep glacier could melt and thus contribute to the formation of a lahar.
cultural significance
The president of Mexico, Lázaro Cárdenas in 1940, established the Iztaccihuatl National Park, the first of almost forty national parks created during his tenure, scattered mainly in the central highlands and containing mixed pine and fir forests, these parks typify the natural and social landscape that surrounds the capital, Mexico City.
More importantly, it articulated federal authority over land that had long been claimed by resident indigenous and mestizo communities, or private and entrepreneurial landowners.
This assertion of federal power grew out of the first social revolution of the XNUMXth century that strove to represent the best interests of "Mexico for Mexicans" by integrating the desires of capitalist development with the recognition of the rights of rural peoples to land and resources (fields, forests, water, etc.).
The park's namesake volcano, Iztaccihuatl, is known by Nahuatl names that anthropomorphize the mountains as a sleeping woman and a smoking warrior. Popular myths explain these figures as lovers separated by war and catastrophe, and finally reunited immortally on the horizon. This park represents the cultural life and history of the Iztaccihuatl volcano.
