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Tungurahua Volcano
Photograph by Dolores Ochoa, AP
Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano (satellite map)—seen here from the town of Cotalo—shot truck-size boulders nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers) away Friday, prompting the evacuation of at least 300 people, according to the Associated Press.
Tungurahua—"throat of fire" in the indigenous Quechua language—sits high in the Andes mountains, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Quito, Ecuador's densely populated capital.
Eruptions are nothing new for the 16,500-foot (5,000-meter) volcano, which roared back to life in 1999 after nearly 80 years of dormancy. (Related: "'Sleeping' Volcanoes Can wake Up Faster Than Thought.")
—Korena Di Roma
Published May 4, 2011
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Smoke Signal
Photograph by Guillermo Granja, Reuters
On April 25 a steady plume of ash and steam spews from Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano, whose immediate area is home to some 25,000 people.
(Also see: "Kilauea Volcano Pictures: Hawaii Eruption Spurts Lava.")
Published May 4, 2011
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Throat of Fire
Photograph by Soledad Contreras, European Pressphoto Agency
Molten lava streams from the cone of Tungurahua volcano on April 26.
Tungurahua is one of eight active volcanoes in Ecuador. Less than 80 miles (130 kilometers) to the north, the active Cotopaxi volcano threatens more than a million people living in the Andes highlands.
(Related pictures: "America's Ten Most Dangerous Volcanoes.")
Published May 4, 2011
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Not-So-Clean Sweep
Photograph by Dolores Ochoa, AP
Men sweep streets covered with volcanic ash on April 30, a day after Tungurahua's most recent powerful eruption. Ash showered a dozen towns in the sparsely populated area surrounding the volcano, according to the AP.
(Related: "Worst Volcanoes Even More Dangerous Than Feared.")
Published May 4, 2011
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Peace in the Valley?
Photograph by Dolores Ochoa, AP
The erupting cone of the Tungurahua volcano looms over the valley below on April 29.
In 2006 Tungurahua shot ash and hot gas five miles (eight kilometers) into the air, destroying three nearby villages. And in 2008 the volcano spewed columns of ash six miles (ten kilometers) tall, forcing the evacuation of 3,000 people.
(See more volcano pictures.)
Published May 4, 2011
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