Galeras, Active stratovolcano in Nariño Department, Colombia
Galeras is an andesite stratovolcano in Nariño, southwestern Colombia, rising 4,276 meters above sea level. Its western flank is partly missing due to earlier eruptions that opened the cone.
The first recorded eruption occurred on December 7, 1580, during Spanish colonial rule. More major events followed over the centuries and shaped the region.
The Quillacinga called this mountain Urcunina, or Fire Mountain, before it took the name of Spanish galleys. The name still connects volcanic power and indigenous understanding of this region today.
A 23-kilometer road connects San Juan de Pasto to the higher reaches of the volcano. A 117-kilometer circular route surrounds the whole structure for those seeking a broader view.
The 1993 eruption killed nine people, including six volcanologists who were sampling gases in the crater during a Decade Volcano conference in Pasto. A petroglyph found in 1966 near Genoy depicts the volcano in eruption.
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