Volcanic ash falls on Ecuadorean capital Quito
Date: 17-Sep-99
Country: ECUADOR
"This explosion is like those that we have kept track of over recent
weeks," Alexandra Alvarado, a volcanologist with the National
Politechnic Geophysics Institute, told Reuters. "Only powder that was
almost imperceptible fell."
The Guagua Pichincha volcano has been monitored under a "yellow alert,"
which means an eruption is possible - since October 1998 when it started
to rumble and shower ash.
The gray sprinkles that dotted Quito on Wednesday were brought by a
change in the direction of the westerly wind toward the east, Alvarado
said.
Besides the capital, settlements in the volcano's line of fire include
the small communities of Lloa, Mindo and Nono.
Guagua Pichincha - located 7.5 miles (12 km) from Quito - last exploded
in 1660, raining ash and rock on Quito but not spilling any lava.
