page_title: Chimborazo
section_title: Volcanism
hierarchical_section_title: Chimborazo / Volcanism
caption_attribution_description: English: Layers of tephra at Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador.
context_page_description: Chimborazo is a currently inactive stratovolcano in the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes. Its last known eruption is believed to have occurred around 550 A.D.
  With a peak elevation of 6,263 m, Chimborazo is the highest mountain in Ecuador.
  Chimborazo’s summit is also the farthest point on the Earth’s surface from the Earth’s center given that it is located along the planet’s equatorial bulge. Chimborazo’s summit, therefore, is at a higher point than the summit of Mount Everest which is measured from sea level. Despite this, it is only the 39th highest peak in the Andes. Like Everest, Chimborazo is also known for climbing. Chimborazo’s climb demands skill and is often on black ice in which crampons and other high tech climbing equipment are required.
context_section_description: Chimborazo is a dominantly andesitic-dacitic stratovolcano. About 35,000 years ago a collapse of Chimborazo produced a debris avalanche with an average thickness of forty meters. which underlies the city of Riobamba. It temporarily dammed the Rio Chambo, causing an ephemeral lake.
  Chimborazo then erupted several times during the Holocene, the last time around 550 AD ± 150 years. The eruptions after the collapse were primarily andesitic, or blocky, coagulated lava flow. These eruptions produced pyroclastic surges that went down as far as 3800 meters altitude. There have been at least seven eruptions in the past 10000 years. Chimborazo is officially considered inactive, but studies show that there may be an eruption in the future. The average time between eruptions for Chimborazo is 1000 years, and the last eruption was 1400 years ago.
caption: Layers of pyroclastic rock deposited during eruptions of Chimborazo
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