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Also referred to as Volc谩n de Par铆cutin, Par铆cutin is one of the youngest volcanoes on the planet that is situated in the west-central part of Mexico in the state of Michoac谩n. The Par铆cutin volcano gained widespread attention for its sudden appearance and mild eruptions in 1943 from a cornfield that was owned by a native farmer named Dionisio Pulido. Since then, the Par铆cutin volcano has attracted several researchers for documenting the full life cycle of a volcano and has also become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.

Geography

Par铆cutin volcano is situated in the Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro municipality in the Mexican state of Michoac谩n, about 322km to the west of Mexico City and 29km to the west of the Uruapan city. This scoria-cone volcano is positioned on the northern flank of the volcanic mountain Pico de Tanc铆taro and forms a part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, which is a series of volcanic vents and cinder cones that runs for more than 900km from west to east across the central part of Mexico. The Par铆cutin volcano is considered to be the most notable volcano among all the scoria-cone type volcanoes on Earth. It is also one of the youngest volcanoes among the 1,400 volcanic vents that form a part of the Michoac谩n-Guanajuato volcanic field.

Geologists believe that the volcanic activities in the Michoac谩n state of Mexico are due to the subduction of Cocos and the Rivera tectonic plates that are placed along the Middle America Trench. The volcanic activities in this region have resulted in the formation of mountains, rocky deposits, and fertile volcanic soil.

Scientific Study

The Par铆cutin volcano provided the volcanologists a great insight to discover many unknown facts about the volcanoes and their activities. For the first time, the Par铆cutin volcano also offered scientists, geologists, and researchers the extremely rare opportunity to document the entire life cycle of a volcano. Just after the volcanic eruption, renowned researchers from the Mexican government and the Smithsonian Institution visited the site and stayed there for several years to provide maps, photographs, and a detailed account of the scoria-cone formation. Within just five years from 1943 to 1948, more than 50 scientific articles about the volcano were published in leading journals and more such articles about the volcano continue to be published even today.

The Par铆cutin volcano continued to erupt for nine years from 1943 to 1952. This entire nine-year activity of the volcano can be divided into four stages: The first phase or Quitzocho which took place from February 22 to October 18, 1943; the second phase or Sapichi which took place from October 18, 1943, to January 8, 1944; the third phase or 罢补辩耻茅-础丑耻补苍 which took place from January 8, 1944, to January 12, 1945. For the next 7 years, the volcano became less active and the last phase of volcanic activity was recorded between January and February 1952. By 1952, the Par铆cutin volcanic eruption had led to the formation of a 424m high cone, and the lava, volcanic ash, and smoke produced by the Par铆cutin volcano had destroyed more than 233 sq. km area of the surrounding land. As per estimates though only three people died, the volcanic eruption had led to the permanent relocation of hundreds of people who lived in the region.

Tourism

After the eruptions finally ended in 1952, the volcano peak reached an elevation of 2,808m. Although scientists have declared the Par铆cutin volcano to be extinct, the volcano is still hot as rainwater that seeps in reacts with the heat and escapes in the form of steam from the cone. It is believed that the forces that created the Par铆cutin volcano are still very much active and the ground beneath the volcano is highly unstable and has led to many earthquakes in the region. Nevertheless, the currently dormant Par铆cutin volcano has become one of Mexico鈥檚 major tourist destinations. The volcano also forms a part of the Pico de Tanc铆taro National Park and the tourists can easily climb the volcano peak as well as view the ruins of the San Juan Parangaricutiro Church. The Cable News Network named the Par铆cutin volcano as one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the 海角社区 in 1997.