Reventador Volcano

Reventador is an andesitic volcano situated in the Amazonian highlands of Ecuador. The summit elevation of the active cone is about 3560m. The cone is surrounded by a horse-shoe shaped avalanche caldera which is open to the east and channels pyroclastic flows / lava flows in an easterly direction.

The volcano is frequently active with 16 eruptions being reported between 1541 and 2002, when a powerful eruption occurred which damaged nearby infrastructure, in particular some of the oil pipelines in the Coca River valley, about 9km from the active crater.

The 2002 eruption started on November 3rd with less than 24 hours warning and within an initial paroxysmal phase lasting about 45 minutes produced an eruption column 17km high and five major lithic-rich pyroclastic flows which extended as far as 9km from the crater. These displaced a one meter diameter crude oil pipeline by approx. 100 meters, miraculously without rupturing it. The flows covered an area of about 12 sqare km and had a bulk volume of 55 million cubic meters. Several further eruption pulses occurred over the next 30 hours, the later ones emplacing more pumice-rich pyroclastic flows. After this, activity rapidly died down over the next days. The eruption is documented in detail by Hall et al. (Revista Geologica de Chile 31(2), p.349-358, 2004). It is thought that the low silica, volatile-rich magma was able to ascend within a period of about 7 hours (the period of seismic tremor detected before the onset of the eruption).

	Ash clouds rise from Reventador following explosive Strombolian Eruptions

Panoramic view of the Reventador Volcanic Complex (kindly provided by M. Rietze)

Reventador has essentially remained active for much of the period from 2002 till present, with periods of relative calm being mixed with periods of lava extrusion forming small domes and lava flows, and episodes of explosive activity of varying intensity gradually depositing ash / lapilli and bombs around the crater. During the first week of December 2017, observations showed frequent strombolian explosions with varying intensity, some of which were accompanied by large amounts of volcanic bombs being thrown onto the upper flanks of the cone. No active lava flows were observed.

Powerful Explosive Activity At Night (Frames from Video)

	Glowing Volcanic Bombs Rain Down on Flanks of Cone

Explosive Activity producing Ash Clouds

One of numerous small static discharges (volcanic lightning) observed in the ash clouds following more dynamic eruptions

	Typical ash clouds from explosive eruptions

Structure of Volcanic Complex

Reventador Volcanic Complex (kindly provided by M. Rietze) Based on the type of vegetation present (large trees / smaller bushes & trees) one can see routes of Pyroclastic flows in 2002. More recent lava flow deposits are found either side of the cone.

View from Hosteria Reventador Mirador 3 Caldera walls visible behind cone	View from Hosteria Reventador Mirador 3	View from closest viewpoint (3km from summit)

Flank with ash / lapilli / bomb deposits	Small lava flow	Lava flow deposits with moss and other small plants

Flank with ash / lapilli / bomb deposits	Flank with ash / lapilli / bomb deposits	Flank with ash / lapilli / bomb deposits

Small Pyroclastic Flows around Summit Rim

	Pyroclastic flow sequence 1 (5 images)

	Pyroclastic flow sequence 2 (5 images)

Visitor Information

Visitors can reach the foot of Reventador volcano easily by road. At the bottom of the main trail presently in use, one finds the Hosteria El Reventador, which provides comfortable accommodation and a wide variety of food. Guides can also be arranged by the friendly staff. Good views of the volcano are possible from the various viewpoints in the Hosteria grounds. For those wishing to have a closer look, ascending the trail takes about 3-4 hours. The trail is rough, steep in places and involves walking up river beds and through thick mud. Due to the numerous small valleys that are crossed, the effective amount of ascending involved is significantly higher than the about 500m altitude gained during the climb. The trail ends at a camp with two covered sleeping areas and a cooking area with a covered fire place. A further trail leads to a covered viewpoint about 150m higher. This can be used for observation of the whole volcanic cone to its base. However, based on a rugged lava flow, it provides no possibility for lying down during longer observation periods. Access to the cone itself is currently (2017) hampered by dense vegetation which grew over the PF deposits of the 2002 eruption.

Hosteria el Reventador	Cabana Estrella with Reventador behind	Beautiful Waterfall near Hosteria - Cascada San Rafael

Main Camp Site (Reventador summit in clouds behind)	Sleeping shelter at main camp

Kitchen Shelter of Main Camp	Martin Rietze in the Kitchen Shelter

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