Wolf (Ecuador): Recorded Eruptions and Historical Activity

Wolf, a shield volcano located in Ecuador with an elevation of 1,710 meters, has a recorded history of 16 confirmed eruptions spanning from the 2nd century CE to 2022. Situated in a rift zone with oceanic crust less than 15 kilometers thick at coordinates 0.02, -91.35, the volcano's documented activity provides a long-term record of eruptions studied through both isotopic dating and direct human observation.

Overview of Recorded Eruptions

The official record for Wolf contains 16 confirmed eruptions. These events range in magnitude and are evaluated using various evidence methods, including cosmic ray exposure isotopic dating for ancient events and reported observations for more recent history. The largest recorded Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) for the volcano is 4.0, which was documented during the 2015 eruption.

Chronological Distribution of Activity

Activity at Wolf has been documented across multiple centuries, with the earliest recorded eruption beginning around 150 CE with an 800-year start-date uncertainty. The confirmed eruption count by century includes:

• 2nd century CE: 1 eruption
• 10th century CE: 1 eruption
• 15th century CE: 1 eruption
• 18th century CE: 2 eruptions
• 19th century CE: 2 eruptions
• 20th century CE: 7 eruptions
• 21st century CE: 2 eruptions

Selected Historical Eruptions

The documented eruption timeline illustrates a variety of activity scales and locations across the shield structure:

• 0150 CE: An early confirmed eruption on the lower SW flank, measured via isotopic cosmic ray exposure with a VEI of 0.0.
• 1800-08-21: A reported observation of an eruption ending on August 21, 1800, with a VEI of 2.0.
• 1933-07-02: A reported eruption starting on July 2, 1933, with a VEI of 0.0.
• 2015 (May 25 – July 16): A higher-magnitude eruption assigned a VEI of 4.0. Activity during this event occurred at a fissure on the southeast edge of the caldera, along the northeast, east, and southeast flanks, and within the summit caldera itself.
• 2022 (January 6 – April 14): The latest recorded eruption in the official dataset, beginning on January 6, 2022, and concluding on April 14, 2022, with a VEI of 2.0.