Pico de Orizaba is a site that is monitored because it is an active volcano, it is in a state of quiescence, but it will erupt again in the future. “We do not know when, at what moment, but what we do know is that if it were to happen, Veracruz would be quite affected,” explains Rafael Torres Orozco, researcher at the Seismological and Volcanological Observatory of Veracruz.
Citlaltépetl is the most active volcano in the state
Citlaltépetl, he says, is 650 thousand years old, which in terms of volcanoes and geology is really very young, it is part of the mountain range that includes Cofre de Perote, La Gloria and Las Cumbres, to the south of the state and is the most active of all.
UV researcher explains that apparently Xalapa does not tremble much, but when it does it causes significant damage
He points out that it is possible that it will take a long time for it to erupt again, “but according to our research we believe that it has had 30 large eruptions, which really leave a mark in the geological records, that in a period of 600 thousand years.”
The researcher from the Center for Earth Sciences of the Universidad Veracruzana also explains that in the last 10 thousand years there has been an eruption every thousand years, the last one was approximately 700 years ago, so, let’s say, we are already close to reaching that statistical goal that a large eruption could occur.
Pico de Orizaba is quiet, but it can erupt again
Torres Orozco points out: “Pico de Orizaba is active, which means that it can erupt, even if it is in a state of quiet, in a kind of sleep. It is asleep, but it has a pulse, we know that it is alive and it could wake up at any moment.”
Pico de Orizaba
In this case, he points out that its pulse is seen through its seismicity, it is a volcano that presents earthquakes frequently, month after month, and that they are recorded in the observatory that is in the place.
In his case, the most frequent earthquakes are tectonic, which can be generated by any movement inside, it can be by water or gas, or any fluid, but it does not necessarily imply that it will become active.
Earthquakes are frequent, they can happen every day, it is not something strange. “A contrast, for example, is Popo, which is an evidently active volcano. There can be dozens or twenties of earthquakes in a day, or even in a few hours. While in Pico de Orizaba we would have that figure in a month or two months. That is the big difference.”
He indicates that the Earth Center is working in the place, but there are not yet enough studies. “In fact, recently, when we wanted to publish something in a scientific journal, we were told that we cannot confirm whether it is an active volcano and we argued that we do not know. That is why we are doing the studies, to find out.”
If it were to wake up, he said that it would be a risk for Veracruz, even though it is shared with the state of Puebla, “it is the state that has the largest area, when it has erupted most of the problems have been in Veracruz, all the eruptions go towards the Gulf of Mexico,” he concluded.
Source: oem
