Paricutín

Paricutín is the most recently formed volcano in Mexico's 550-mile east-west Cordillera Neovolcánica, which forms the highlands marking the southern boundary of the Mesa Central. Most of the volcanoes in this range were formed during the late Tertiary, but many have been active in historic times. Colima, for instance, erupted in 1913, and Popocatépetl was active in 1920–1924. After two weeks of earth tremors, Paricutín began forming on the northwestern slope of an old volcano, Tancítaro, in the late afternoon of 20 February 1943, actually growing out of the cornfield of a farmer named Dionisio Pullido. The volcano exploded ash and built a cone of about 550 feet within six days. Its lava flows covered 7 square miles and engulfed several towns and villages, including the district capital, San Juan Parangaricutiro, forcing some 5,000 people to relocate. After three years, Paricutín's cone had risen about 1,150 feet above the original vent. Much of the region still bears scars of the eruption, although Paricutín has been dormant since 1952.

See alsoVolcanoes .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

William Foshag and Jenaro Gonzales Reyna, Birth and Development of Paricutín Volcano, Mexico, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin no. 965-D (1956).

Additional Bibliography

Guzmán Villanueva, Raquel. "La erupción del volcán Paricutín: impacto geográfico." Anuario de Geografía (Mexico) 26 (1990–1992): 185-192.

Kent, Robert B. Latin America: Regions and People. New York: Guilford Press, 2006.

Werner, Luis. "Paricutínn Sparks a Miraculous Pilgrimage." Américas 43 (1991): 6-15.

                                        John J. Winberry