El Reventador, 3562 meters

Derek summited El Reventador volcano in December, 2007. Still very active, the volcano looks like this right now (above).

On 19 November 2002, it looked like this (below) and dumped a meter of ash on Quito. The international press was delighted to know that the TransEcuatorial Pipeline (crude oil) was unaffected, although nearly all the pipeline workers and thousands of local people faced lava flows, gas, and ash obstructions that destroyed agriculture and livestock. Quito trucked much of the ash to coastal banana plantations for use as fertilizer.

Nature is little troubled
by these geological events,
as evidenced by the wildlife
in the blast zone.

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