Ecuador
Shield in Ecuador
Key Facts
Elevation
790 m (2,592 ft)
Type
Shield
Location
-0.020°, -91.546°
Region
Galapagos Hotspot Volcano Group
Rock Type
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Tectonic Setting
Rift zone
Location
Loading map...
Overview
Volcán Ecuador straddles the equator at the NW end of Isabela Island. The western side of the volcano, the smallest of the six large shield volcanoes on the island, is broadly breached by edifice collapse, and youthful lava flows cover much of the caldera floor. Two large pyroclastic cones were constructed along the coast, and several chains of spatter cones and small scoria cones cross the caldera floor, which has a prominent bench on its southern side.
A single dark-colored aa lava flow covers about half of the caldera floor. A number of young lava flows reach the coast to form Cape Berkeley, W of a large youthful-looking tuff cone. Extending from the outer eastern flanks of the main edifice is a line of NE-trending fissure-fed vents that connect Volcán Ecuador (also known as Cape Berkeley volcano) with Volcán Wolf.
The only Isabela Island volcano without historical eruptions, the youthful morphology of its most recent lava flows nevertheless resembles those of very recent flows on other Isabela Island volcanoes.
Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment
Primary Hazards
Risk Level
Geological Composition & Structure
Rock Types
Tectonic Setting
Age & Formation
Eruption Statistics & Analysis
| Metric | Value | Global Ranking | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Recorded Eruptions | Unknown | Low | Moderately active volcano |
| Maximum VEI | VEI Unknown | Minor | Local impact potential |
| Recent Activity | 876 years ago | Historical | Historically active |
Monitoring & Alert Status
Monitoring Networks
Current Status
Nearby Volcanoes in Eastern Pacific Volcanic Regions
Quick Info
- •Smithsonian ID: 353011
- •Evidence: Eruption Dated
- •Epoch: Holocene
About the Photo
An aerial view of Volcán Ecuador from the south shows the large horseshoe-shaped caldera breached to the west that was formed when the volcano collapsed, producing a large submarine debris avalanche. The volcano straddles the equator at the NW end of Isabela Island. Two large pyroclastic cones were constructed along the coast, and smaller cones are found on the caldera floor. Extensive dark-colored lava flows (right) originate from a NE-trending line of fissures that extends from the outer eastern flanks of the main edifice.
Photo by Patricio Ramon, 2005 (Instituto Geofisca, Escuela Politecnica Nacional).
Authority Sources
Related Volcanoes
Basic Information
This page shows basic data from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program. For more detailed information, visit the official Smithsonian page.