Popocatépetl volcano erupts twice, spews ash

Popocatépetl volcano erupted twice Friday

Popocatépetl volcano – an active stratovolcano located just 43 miles (70 km) southeast of Mexico City – had two explosions yesterday (September 9, 2022) before dawn local time. The name Popocatépetl is pronounced poh-poh-kah-TEH-peh-til. Both eruptions spewed ash into the atmosphere, which can be a hazard for aviation. The Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Washington, D.C., issued an advisory about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to an estimated 23,000 feet (7,000 meters) in altitude. But, by Saturday morning (September 10), the ash was dissipating.

According to Mexico’s National Center for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED) in Mexico, the ejecta from Popocatépetl contained not just ash but also water vapor, volcanic gases and some incandescent fragments.

Click into the tweet below to find a translation to English:

#Volcán ? #Popocatépetl.

A las 06:11 h se presentó una exhalación con contenido bajo de #Ceniza. La altura de la columna fue de 1.5 km en dirección sureste.

Consulta el mapa de peligros volcánicos en el #AtlasDeRiesgo.@laualzua pic.twitter.com/V7rohn6Jot

— Coordinación Nacional de Protección Civil (@CNPC_MX) September 9, 2022

Its name means Smoking Mountain

Popocatépetl, which means the Smoking Mountain, can be seen on clear days from Mexico City.

The active volcano Popocatépetl, (pronounced poh-poh-kah-TEH-peh-til), located about 70 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of Mexico City has been erupting since January 2005. pic.twitter.com/AP3fSHGJZ5

— Louis le Roi ? (@voodoowriterx) September 5, 2022

Bottom line: Popocatépetl volcano near Mexico City is an active volcano. Its smoke plume can be seen from Mexico City on clear days. But on September 9, 2022, it released ash that could endanger aircraft.