Tourists love this mountain region and activities are big on the agenda. Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano erupted three times over the weekend, sending huge clouds of ash and smoke into the sky, authorities said.

Two moderate explosions on Saturday were followed by a third, bigger blast.

Tungurahua: “Throat of Fire”[4] or from Panzaleo) is an active stratovolcano located in the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador. The volcano gives its name to the province of Tungurahua. Volcanic activity restarted on August 19, 1999, and is ongoing as of 2013, with several major eruptions since that period, the last starting on 1 February 2014

Local reports say the blast created a column of ash of about 8km (5 miles) above the volcano, which which lies 135km (85 miles) south-east of the capital, Quito.

Tungurahua (5,023 m) is located in the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes of central Ecuador, 140 kilometres (87 mi) south of the capital Quito. Nearby notable mountains are Chimborazo (6,267 m) and El Altar (5,319 m). It rises above the small thermal springs town of Baños de Agua Santa (1,800 m) which is located at its foot 8 km to the north. Other nearby towns are Ambato (30 km to the northwest) and Riobamba (30 km to the southwest). Tungurahua is part of the Sangay National Park.

Glacier[edit]
With its elevation of 5,023 m, Tungurahua just over tops the snow line (about 4,900 m). Tungurahua’s top is snow covered and did feature a small summit glacier which melted away after the increase of volcanic activity in 1999.