El Misti Volcano In Peru Has Woken Up

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The Misti volcano is Peru’s most well known volcano and it has long been considered to be ‘asleep.’

But the Smithsonian GVP reports that El Misti has had some rather alarming seismic activity that could indicate magma intrusion at the volcano.

Studies by the Southern Volcano Observatory (OVS) also reveal that it is awake and emitting gases.

Peru’s volcano authority say that the last Misti eruption of great magnitude was 2,000 years ago.

Peru this week reports:   It is currently considered the greatest risk in the South American country, as thousands of habitants reside near its crater.

“The gases that Misti emits are magmatic. This confirms that the volcano is active and is not sleeping, as many people think,” VS engineer, Luisa Macedo, told AFP over the phone from Arequipa, according to Publimetro.

The volcano is located only 17 kilometers from the city.

The engineer informed that four weeks ago a group of researchers from OVS took images of the Misti crater. With their investigation were able to identify magmatic activity.

“The gases reach 500 meters and contain sulfuric acid, carbon and calcium,” said Macedo. He informed that the distance prevents the nearby communities being affected by the emissions.

Another OVS specialist, Domingo Ramos, explained that although the volcano is active, it does not necessarily mean there is danger of a hazardous eruption.

El Misti is a volcano on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a chain of volcanoes that spans the outline of the Pacific tectonic plate.

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