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Mexico is known for its beaches and historical ruins, but did you know that Mexico has some of the most spectacular volcanoes in North America? It has the tallest volcano in North America (the third tallest mountain in North America), and islands formed from shield volcanoes.
Mexico Volcanoes
- Barcena – a volcano on the island of San Benedicto that wiped out all life on the island in 1952.
- Ceboruco – A volcano that had the largest eruption in Mexico in 930 AD.
- Chichinautzin – A volcanic field just outside Mexico City.
- Colima – An active volcano visible from Mexico City.
- El Chichon – A previously unknown lava cone that erupted in 1982, killing 2000 people.
- Jocotitlan Volcano – A distinct horseshoe-shaped volcano.
- Nevado de Toluca – A dormant stratovolcano and Mexico’s 4th highest peak.
- Paricutin – A volcano that appeared suddenly in a Mexican cornfield, rose to a height of more than 400 meters and then stopped growing.
- Pico de Orizaba – A dormant volcano that hasn’t erupted since the 17th century, it’s the third tallest peak in North America.
- Popocatepetl – An active volcano in Mexico, the 2nd tallest active volcano in North America.
- San Martin – A shield volcano near the Gulf Coast of Mexico.
- Socorro – a shield volcano that makes up the largest of the Revillagigedo Islands.
- Tacana – A tall stratovolcano that straddles the border between Mexico and Guatemala
We have written many articles about volcanoes for Universe Today. Here’s an article about Costa Rica volcanoes, and here’s a full list of famous volcanoes around the world.
Want more resources on the Earth? Here’s a link to NASA’s Human Spaceflight page, and here’s NASA’s Visible Earth.
We have also recorded an episode of Astronomy Cast about Earth, as part of our tour through the Solar System – Episode 51: Earth.