Paricutin Volcano Facts

Paricutin Volcano Facts for Kids

• The Paricutin Volcano is part of the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire is an area of high earthquake and volcanic activity. This happens in the basin of the Pacific Ocean.
• This particular volcano grew very quickly. It started off as small eruptions of ash and stones. These small eruptions grew into eruptions the height of five stories in only a week!
• It continued to grow and grow and in a year the volcano had reached 336 meters. The final height that the volcano reached by the end of its life was 424 meters.
• The Paricutin Volcano continued to erupt for eight years until 1952. The volcano has remained silent since then. It is believed to be a monogenetic volcano and that means that when it is finished erupting it will never explode again.
• The volcano was named after the village where it is located.
• Did you know that when the lava from a volcano cools and hardens, the hard rock that it forms is called basalt?
• Mexico is known for its active volcanoes. The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt has 1400 vents! The Paricutin Volcano is the youngest of them all.
• The exploding gases from the volcano reached 1026˚C (1879˚ F) to 1060˚C (1940˚ F).
• The lava that flowed from the Paricutin Volcano reached a heat of 1070 ˚Celsius (1958 ˚Fahrenheit)
• The flowing lava was fast flowing and could move at the speed of 60 meters per minute!
• The residents of the village had to evacuate their homes because of the explosions and soon the area became unsafe for them to live there anymore. By 1944, the village had disappeared as it was completely covered by lava with only the top part of San Juan Parangaricutiro church still visible.
• You can climb the volcano and it is an amazing thing to do! It is definitely a bit scary but experiencing one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World would be unforgettable!