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Class Assignment 1
There has been no actual eruption
of Cotopaxi since 1944, of which there is no description
on the Global Volcanism Program Website. Based on the
accounts of the destruction caused by this eruption, it
was most likely a plinian eruption; pyroclastic flows
and far-traveling lahars were observed in the 1944
eruption. Therefore, it was an explosive eruption. Since
then, there has been one significant incident of
activity. In October ,1975, vapor plumes were seen
rising from the volcano, and small earthquakes were
reported. The activity continued but did not increase in
October and eventually decreased and ceased in December.2
Class Assignment 2
Note: I made this up
Local
legend has it that the God of the Earth and the Goddess
of the Clouds are responsible for the violent eruptions
of Cotopaxi. It is said that they fell in love in
ancient times, formed a blessed union between the skies
and the earth, and produced many children. Their fourth
child, Cotopaxi, was one of seven males. Being the
middle child, he often felt ignored by his parents and
siblings. His older and younger brothers were given
great powers by their parents and received tremendous
recognition for their strength and wits. Cotopaxi,
consumed with jealousy for his siblings' success, swore
that he would find a way to get proper recognition for
his strengths, even if it meant harming his family. One
night, he snuck into the chamber of his parents and
killed them both, thus obtaining their powers. With his
newfound control of the clouds and the earth, he grew
power-hungry and wild, causing destruction and chaos
throughout the land. He blackened the sky with clouds
and made the earth tremble. Soon, the God of the Skies,
the strongest being of all, grew frustrated that he
could not see through the thick black clouds. He asked
the eldest of Cotopaxi's brothers why this was, and when
he heard what had happened, he grew angry and knew that
something must be done. He gathered up Cotopaxi's
siblings, who were not strong enough to fight their
brother on their own, and attacked Cotopaxi. He crushed
the the young God with bolts of lightning, hammering him
into submission while the united brothers threw rocks
and earth at him from all sides. Soon, Cotopaxi became
trapped in a pile of rock that towered over the earth,
with nothing but a hole at the top from which to
breathe. The God of the Skies said that Cotopaxi would
be imprisoned there for all eternity for what he had
done, and the brothers rejoiced as balance was returned
to the sky and the earth. But, every once in a while,
Cotopaxi regains some strength and tries to break
out of his imprisonment, using his powers to shoot great
hot clouds of ash in the air and across the land, and
sending powerful mudflows from the side of his prison
great distances from his shaking. Sometimes, as legend
has it, if he gets close enough to escaping, the God of
the Skies sends rain and bolts of lightning down to
weaken the angry Cotopaxi.
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