Quilotoa
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| Quilotoa | |
|---|---|
 Panorama of the lake-filled Quilotoa caldera. |
|
| Elevation | 3,914 metres (12,841 ft) |
| Location | Ecuador |
| Range | Andes |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Type | Caldera |
| Age of rock | approx. 40,000 years |
| Last eruption | 1280 (?) |
Quilotoa (key-low-TOE-ah) is a water-filled caldera and the westernmost volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. The 3 kilometres (2 mi) wide caldera was formed by the collapse of this dacite volcano following a catastrophic VEI-6 eruption about 800 years ago, which produced pyroclastic flows and lahars that reached the Pacific Ocean, and spread an airborne deposit of volcanic ash throughout the northern Andes. The caldera has since accumulated a 250 m (820 ft) deep crater lake, which has a greenish color as a result of dissolved minerals. Fumaroles are found on the lake floor and hot springs occur on the eastern flank of the volcano.
Quilotoa is a tourist site of growing popularity. The route to the "summit" is generally traveled by hired truck from the nearby town of Zumbahua. Visitors must pay one American dollar each to look from the lip of the caldera. A number of simple hostales have developed in the immediate area, and offer services such as mules and guides for the five-hour hike around the caldera (whose diameter is about 3km), and lodging down in its bowl.
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