A little more on Paricutin Volcano

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It is the only volcano in the world where its birth was witnessed and documented in modern times. While the world has seen many eruptions from existing volcanoes, the ability to study a volcano from its birth until it becomes extinct is what makes Paricutin very rare. It is due to this, CNN included it into their 7 Natural Wonders of the World list.

It all started in February of 1943, when Dionisio Pulido, a farmer attending to his cornfields, noticed a crack in his land. Then, “the ground swelled and raised itself 2 or 2 1/2 meters high, and a kind of smoke or fine dust, like ashes began to rise up in a portion of the crack”. The next morning it is estimated the mound had grown to 10m, which emitted smoke and hurled rocks. Within 3 days lava started to flow, and a year later the volcano was 336 meters (1,102.36 ft) tall.

For 9 years the volcano was active, ending in 1952 when it became extinct. During this time the volcano grew 424 m (1,391 ft) and its lava covered 25 square kms, burying the villages of Paricutin and San Juan Parangaricutiro.