Description of the volcano at Cotopaxi

description of the volcano at cotopaxi.

From the London Methodist Magazine.

to the editor.

Rev. Sir,

At a period when philosophical research is pressed into theservice of scepticism and infidelity, it must be highly gratifyingto real christians of every creed, to peruse that valuable de-partment of your excellent Magazine, where you have recordedso many important facts, in which the works of God are display-ed. The following description of the volcano at Cotopaxi, isextracted from M. de Humboldt’s Researches in South Amer-ica. That majestic monument of Omnipotence, is on one ofthose huge mountains of that extended chain called the Andes,or the Cordilleras, which stretches from the isthmus of Darien,to the straights of Magellen Magellan , a distance of near four thousandmiles. While the sceptical philosopher views the stupendousmountain, and is confounded in every attempt to account forits formation, the humble believer in God, in Christ, in the bible,on the wings of dovout devout contemplation, soars to its toweringheight; and on its lofty summit finds an altar, where he offersto the Maker of the universe the incense of his astonishmentand praise. Whether this scientific and indefatigable travellerwill approve or blame my effort, to throw his sublime descrip-tion of Cotopaxi, into the treasury of the church of God, I can-not determine: but I sincerely hope, that its insertion in youruseful miscellany will contribute to the pleasure and profit ofmany of your pious readers.

I am, your’s, &c. G*****. Margate, Feb. 10,

“Cotopaxi is the loftiest of those volcanoes of the Andeswhich at recent epochs have undergone eruptions. Its abso-lute height is five thousand seven hundred and fifty-four metres;The French metre is equal to 3,987,100 English inches. (about eighteen thousand seven hundred and thirty six Englishfeet.) It is double that of Canigou; and consequently eighthundred metres higher than Vesuvius would be were it placedon the top of the peak of Teneriffe.Vesuvius is 3900 feet above the level of the sea; the Peak of Teneriffe12,236 feet. Cotopaxi is also themost dreadful volcano of the kingdom of Quito, and its explo- sions the most frequent and disastrous. The mass of scoria,and the huge pieces of rock thrown out of this volcano, whichare spread over the neighboring vallies, covering a surface ofseveral square leagues, would form, were they heaped together,a collossial mountain. In 1738, the flames of Cotopaxi rose ninehundred metres above the brink of the crater. In 1744, theroarings of the volcano were heard as far Henda, a town onthe borders of the Magdalena, and at a distance of two hundredcommon leagues. On the 4th of April, 1768, the quantity ofashes ejected by the mouth of Cotopaxi was so great, that inthe towns of Hambato and Tacunga day broke only at threein the afternoon, and the inhabitants were obliged to use lan-terns in walking the streets. The explosion which took placein the month of January, 1803, was preceded by a most dread-ful phenomenon, the sudden melting of the snows that coveredthe mountain. For twenty years before, no smoke or vapour,that could be perceived, had issued from the crater; and in asingle night the subterraneous fire became so active, that atsun rise the external walls of the cone, heated, no doubt, to avery considerable temperature, appeared naked, and of a darkcolour, which is peculiar to vitrified scoræ. At the port ofGuayaquil, fifty-two leagues distant in a straight line from thecrater, we heard, day and night, the constant noises of the vol-cano, like continual discharges of a battery: we distinguishedthese tremendous sounds even on the Pacific ocean, to thesouth west of the island of Puna.

“Cotopaxi is situated to the south east of the city of Quito,at the distance of twelve leagues, between the mountain ofRuminnavi, the summit of which, rugged with small separaterocks, extends itself like a wall of enormous height; and Que-lendanna, which enters the boundary of the eternal snows.

It is in this part of the Andes, that a longitudinal valley sepa-rates the Cordilleras into two parallel chains. The bottom ofthe valley is three thousand metres above the level of theocean, so that Chimborazo and Cotopaxi, seen from the ele-vated plains of Lican and Mulalo, appear no higher than theCol de Geant and du Cramont, measured by Saussure. Asthere is reason to suppose, that the proximity of the ocean con-tributes to feed the volcanic fire, the geologist is astonishedto find that the most active volcanoes in the kingdom of Quito,Cotopaxia, Tungurahua, and Sangay, belong to the easternchain of the Andes, and consequently that which is the farthestfrom the coasts. The whole of the peaks, except Ruca-Pi-chincha, which crown the western Cordilleras, seem to be vol-canoes extinguished for a long series of ages: but this mountain,which is 2 deg. 2 min. distant from the nearest coasts, those ofEsmeralda, and the bay of San Mateo, spouts out at different periods cataracts of fire, and spreads destruction over the sur-rounding plains.

“The form of Cotopaxi is the most beautiful and regular ofthe collossial summits of the high Andes. It is a perfect cone,which covered with an enormous layer of snow, shines withdazzling splendor at the setting of the sun, and detaches itselfin the most picturesque manner from the azure vault of heaven.This covering of snow conceals from the eye of the observer,even the smallest inequalities of the soil; no point of rock, nostony mass, penetrates the coating of ice, or breaks the regu-larity of the figure of the cone. The summit of Cotopaxi re-sembles the sugar loaf, (Pan de azucar) which terminates thepeak of Teyde; but the height of the cone is six times theheight of that great volcano in the island of Teneriffe.

“It is only at the brink of the crater we see ledges of rocks,that are never covered with snow, and that look at a distancelike stripes of the darkest hue; the greatest steepness of thispart of the cone, and the crevices from which issue currents ofheated air, are probably the causes of this phenomenon. Thecrater, like that of the Peak of Teneriffe, is surrounded by asmall circular wall, which, examined with a good telescope,looks like a parapet. This is more distinctly seen on thesouthern declivity, when the beholder is placed either on theLion mountain, (Puona Urcu) or on the banks of the small lakeof Yuracoche.

“The conic point of the Peak of Teneriffe is of easy access,rising from the midst of a plain, covered with pumice stones,and on which a few tufts of spartium supranubium vegetate.—In scaling the volcano of Cotopaxi, it is extremely difficult toattain the inferior boundary of the perpetual snows, as we ex-perienced in an excursion we made in the month of May, inthe year 1802. The cone is surrounded by deep crevices,which at the moment of the eruptions bear down scoræ, pumicestone, water and blocks of ice, to Rio Napo, and Rio de lesAlaques. After a nearer examination of the summit of Coto-paxi, we may venture to assert, that it would be impossible toreach the brink of the crater. ************** Isketched Cotopaxi, and the head of the Inca, to the west of thevolcano, at the farm Sienega, ************. The co-lossial volcano, the pyramidal peaks of Ilinisa, and the Nevadode Quelendana, open here at once on the spectator, and indreadful proximity. This is one of the most majestic and awfulviews I ever beheld in either hemisphere.”

Researches in South America, by Alexander de Humboldt.