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national volcano early warning system
NVEWS was designed to assess the relative danger of all
volcanoes in the U.S. in a consistent and clear way.
Using this method, Cotopaxi was assessed as well. These
were the results:
Cotopaxi's threat ranking
number classifies it as a level 4 volcano, according to
NVEWS. This is the highest level in which a volcano can
be classified. The US Geological Survey suggests that
for volcanoes of this magnitude, there be 12-20
seismometers within 20 km of the vent, as well as
constant and regular measuring of gas emissions and any
deformation. Cotopaxi, it seems, is not sufficiently
monitored (see monitoring page); it falls under the
level 3 category for monitoring. This is not to say that
it is completely abandoned; the Instituto Geofisico
monitors it as best they can with their limited funding,
and, relative to other dangerous volcanoes, Cotopaxi is
still pretty well-watched. However, it is indeed true
that a volcano this dangerous should be monitored as
best as possible.
All information from this page is
from the USGS NVEWS report.25 |
