Many of the volcanoes are still active including Sangay, Tunguahua, Cotopaxi, Pichincha and Quilatoa. Others are dormant. In the jungle both Reventador and Sumaco are still active. The volcanoes dominate the landscapes as they do the geology. In the Papallacta valley there are cliffs with giant crystals of basalt, there are areas of volcanic mud, notably around Cangahua, which has given its name to this mud.
Earthquakes are common throughout Ecuador as the land is being formed.
The lahars around Cotopaxi look like frozen rivers when seen from the refuge. There are lava flows that flowed out of Antisana that blocked the rivers above Papallacta and caused a large lake to form. Volcanic layers laid down eons ago have been folded back on themselves exactly on the equator visible in cuttings on the road from Guallabamba to Tabacundo. The volcanic landscape has been modified by the action of glaciers. Forming the basins in the inter-Andean valley that are now separate provinces of modern Ecuador.