Pico de orizaba
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In Mexico, El Pico de Orizaba is the highest volcano, and the third highest in North America at a height of 18, 490 feet, or 6,163 meters. It is located at the eastern end of the Mexican Volcanic Belt, a mountain range that crosses the central part of Mexico, between the states of Veracruz and Puebla.
The name "El Pico de Orizaba" means "Star Mountain," but the name Mexicans refer to it by, Iztactepetl, means "White Mountain." The peak of this volcano is one out of only three volcanoes in Mexico which has permanent snow and glaciers.
This volcano is a composite volcano formed in three stages during the Mid-Pleistocene Age. However, this volcano has not erupted since 1846, which means that it is dormant but not yet extinct. The eruptions previous to this one include 1687, 1630, 1613, 1569, 1566, 1545-65, 1537. Currently, there is no fumarolic activity at the summit.
El Pico de Orizaba plays an important role in Pre-Hispanic cultures, such as the Aztecs and the Totonacs. The Aztecs believed that the "sacred fire" from Orizaba's crater enveloped a great winged serpent, Quetzalcoatl, who took the form of a man and sailed across the sea, taking vengeance on the Aztec nation.
This particular volcano is surrounded by cinder cones and maars to the Southwest. Eruptions from Orizaba consist of explosions and lava flows.
