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Geological Formations

Pico de Orizaba

Volcanic Formations

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Pico de Orizaba, also known by its Nahuatl name Citlaltepetl, stands on the border of Veracruz and Puebla states in central Mexico, near the eastern end of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, and at about 5,636 meters is the highest mountain in Mexico and the third-highest in North America. It is a dormant stratovolcano built from andesite and dacite lava interlayered with pyroclastic material, with a summit crater roughly 400 meters across, and its high elevation supports Mexico's largest glacier system, including the Gran Glaciar Norte, though these glaciers have retreated significantly in recent decades. The volcano has a long eruptive history stretching back tens of thousands of years, including large explosive eruptions and debris avalanches that reshaped its edifice, and its most recent confirmed eruptions occurred in the mid-19th century, with activity recorded between 1846 and 1849. Though currently dormant, Pico de Orizaba is still classified as an active volcano capable of future eruptions. This entity documents Pico de Orizaba specifically as a geological formation, Mexico's highest peak, a dormant andesite-dacite stratovolcano last erupting in the 1840s.

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