Nevado de Toluca

Nevado de Toluca
Nevado de Toluca as seen from the southeast (Lerma)
Elevation	4,680 m (15,354 ft)
Location	México, Mexico
Prominence	2,225m
Coordinates	19°06′30″N 99°45′30″W / 19.10833°N 99.75833°W / 19.10833; -99.75833
Type	Stratovolcano
Volcanic arc/belt	Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Last eruption	1350 BC (?)
Easiest route	road, hiking trail
Listing	Ultra

Nevado de Toluca is a large stratovolcano in central Mexico, located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of Mexico City near the city of Toluca. It is generally cited as the fourth highest of Mexico's peaks, after Pico de Orizaba, Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, although by some measurements, Sierra Negra is slightly higher. It is often called by the Nahuatl name Xinantécatl, which is usually translated as “The Naked Lord” (“Señor Desnudo” in Spanish) although other etymologies have been suggested such as “Lord of the Cornstalks” (chinām(itl) 'cornstalks' + tēcatl 'lord of').

The volcano has a 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) wide summit caldera which is open to the west. The highest summit, 4,680 metres (15,354 ft) Pico del Fraile (Friar's Peak), is on the south side of the crater and the second highest, 4,640 metres (15,223 ft) Pico del Aguila (Eagle's Peak), is on the north. There are two crater lakes on the floor of the basin at about 4,200 m (13,800 ft), the larger Lago del Sol (Sun Lake) and the smaller, but deeper, Lago de la Luna (Moon Lake). A road runs into the caldera to the lakes, making this perhaps the most accessible major Mexican peak.

The last major eruption of Nevado de Toluca occurred in 10.5 ka BP, as the volcano erupted a total estimated volume of 14 km³ for a VEI strength of 6 (comparable to the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo). The eruption emplaced 1.5 m (5 ft) of pebble-sized pumice in the City of Toluca region and ~50 cm (2 ft) of medium to fine sand in the Mexico City region. Distal lahar deposits derived from the Upper Toluca Pumice event incorporated mammoth bones and other mammals in the basin of Mexico. A future event of this magnitude would disrupt the lives of 30 million people now living in these cities and their surroundings.

From the southeast, Nevado de Toluca looks flat-topped, like shoulders without a head. A Nahuatl legend (recounted as part of the legend of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl) provides a mythical explanation.

Gallery

The crater of the Nevado de Toluca, as seen from the summit.	Nevado de Toluca.	Lago de la Luna (Moon Lake), in the crater of the Nevado of Toluca.	Nevado de Toluca, Toluca in the foreground.
Nevado de Toluca from the southeast	View of Nevado de Toluca from the trailhead	Shoreline of Moon Lake, the smaller but deeper of the two crater lakes	Lado del Sol (Sun Lake), the larger crater lake
View of Lago del Sol from the caldera

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nevado de Toluca

• 4000 meter peaks of México
• 4000 meter peaks of North America
• List of volcanoes in Mexico
• Mountain peaks of México
• Mountain peaks of North America

References

• Global Volcanism Program: Nevado de Toluca
• Arce, J. L.; Macías, J. L.; Vázquez-Selem, L. (2003). "The 10.5 ka Plinian eruption of Nevado de Toluca volcano, Mexico: Stratigraphy and hazard implications". Geological Society of America Bulletin 115 (2): 230–248. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(2003)115<0230:TKPEON>2.0.CO;2. 
• Secor, R. J. (2001). Mexico's Volcanoes: A Climbing Guide (3rd ed.). Mountaineers Books. p. 160 pp. ISBN 0898867983. 
• Yarza de la Torre, Esperanza (1971) (in Spanish). Volcanes de México. Aguilar. p. 237 pp.