Arturo Andrade / AFP - Getty Images
A cloud of ash belches out of Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano, some 55 km from Mexico City, as seen from Paso de Cortes, in the Mexican central state of Puebla, on May 20. Authorities have raised the alert level to "Yellow Phase Three," the fifth of a seven-stage warning system, restricting access to an area of 12 km around the volcano while preparing evacuation routes and shelters.
Arturo Andrade / AFP - Getty Images
Yuri Cortez / AFP - Getty Images
Incandescent materials, ashes and smoke are spewed from the Popocatepetl Volcano in Santiago Xalitzintla, in the Mexican central state of Puebla, on April 26, 2012.
Residents at the foot of Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano no longer sleep soundly since the towering mountain roared back into action two weeks ago, spewing out a hail of rocks, steam and ashes, Agence France Presse reports.
The volcano, Mexico's second highest peak at 5,452 meters, started rumbling and spurting high clouds of ash and steam on April 13, provoking the authorities to raise the alert to level five on a seven-point scale.
A ghostly image captured by a NASA satellite, below, shows the erupting volcano at night, OurAmazingPlanet.com reports. It's a thermal image, snapped at 10:53 p.m. local time on Wednesday. The lighter areas are warmer, the darker areas cooler. The white dot in the center of the image is a hotspot within the volcano's summit crater.
Jesse Allen / NASA Earth Observatory
NASA's Terra satellite captured this nighttime view of the Popocatépetl volcano eruption at 10:53 p.m. local time (04:53 Universal Time) on April 25, 2012.
Take a look at more photos of the Popocatepetl volcano on PhotoBlog.
Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP - Getty Images
Incandescent materials, ash and smoke are spewed from the Popocatepetl volcano, seen from Santiago Xalitzintla, in the Mexican central state of Puebla, on April 24. Residents at the foot of Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano no longer sleep soundly since the towering mountain roared back into action over a week ago, spewing out a hail of rocks, steam and ashes. The volcano, Mexico's second highest peak at 5,452 metres, started rumbling and spurting high clouds of ash and steam on April 13, provoking the authorities to raise the alert to level five on a seven-point scale.
More photos of the Popocatepetl volcano on PhotoBlog.
Marco Ugarte / AP
A plume of ash and steam rise from the Popocatepetl volcano overshadowing the Catholic church 'Nuestra Señora de los Remedios' or 'Our Lady of Remedies' in Cholula, Mexico, April 22.
Popo, as the volcano is commonly known, has put out small eruptions of ash almost daily since a round of eruptive activity began in 1994. A week ago, the eruptions started growing larger.
From OurAmazingPlanet staff:
Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano, which lies only about 40 miles away from Mexico City, dusted nearby areas with ash this week in one of its largest explosions in recent years. The eruption, combined with a billowing plume of steam and ash and increased seismic activity, has prompted authorities to raise the volcano's alert status and advise people to stay at least seven miles away from the summit.
The eruption covered about 30 communities with ash, ranging from a light dusting to up to 7 centimeters (2.8 inches), according to Wired's Eruptions Blog.
Jose Casta-ares / AFP - Getty Images
Ash and smoke are spewed from Popocatepetl Volcano as seen from the city of Puebla, in the Mexican central state of Puebla, on April 18. Residents of nearby communities reported roaring noises from the Popocatepetl volcano near Mexico City on Tuesday after signs of increased activity prompted authorities to raise alert levels.
Imelda Medina / Reuters
A boy helps another adjust his surgical mask, which were handed out by the Red Cross, in San Nicolas de los Ranchos April 17. A powerful plume of steam and ash rose from the Popocatepetl volcano in central Mexico on Tuesday, prompting local schools to cancel classes and emergency teams to prepare for evacuations. Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention raised the alert level for the 5,450-meter (17,900-foot) Popocatepetl, which lies some 50 miles to the southeast of Mexico City, late on Monday.
Francisco Guasco / EPA
View of a shelter in Santiago Xalitzintla, in the Mexican state of Puebla, prepared due to an alert status phase three issued by the National Center for Prevention of Disasters on April 17. According to the National Center for Prevention of Disasters, the volcano Popocatepetl has spewed some ash emissions and sproadic explosions of low and moderate level.
Imelda Medina / Reuters
The Popocatepetl volcano spews a cloud of ash and steam high into the air, as seen from San Nicolas de los Ranchos, on the outskirts of Puebla April 18. A powerful plume of steam and ash rose from the Popocatepetl volcano in central Mexico on Tuesday, prompting local schools to cancel classes and emergency teams to prepare for evacuations. Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention raised the alert level for the 5,450-meter (17,900-foot) Popocatepetl, which lies some 50 miles to the southeast of Mexico City, late on Monday.
From Reuters: SAN PEDRO BENITO JUAREZ, Mexico — A powerful plume of steam and ash rose from the Popocatepetl volcano in central Mexico on Tuesday, prompting local schools to cancel classes and emergency teams to prepare for evacuations.
The volcano's lava dome started to expand on Friday, suggesting fresh magma may be pushing upwards. It spewed red-hot fragments and lightly dusted cars and streets in some small towns in the state of Puebla, television images showed.
Popocatepetl, which lies some 50 miles to the southeast of Mexico
City , pumped out a cloud of hot air and particles in an emission lasting about 20 minutes on Tuesday. "It sounded like a loud cauldron releasing steam," said Reuters cameraman Roberto Ramirez.
For the latest on the Popocatepetl volcano click here.
Francisco Guasco / EPA
A smoke cloud from the Popocatepetl volcano is seen from the town of San Andres Cholula, Mexico, on April 16, 2012. The volcano has been emitting gas and water vapor between 500 and 1000 meters in height according to a report from the National Center for Disaster Prevention.
Reuters reports — Mexican authorities raised the alert level for the Popocatepetl volcano near to Mexico City on Monday after it started spewing red-hot fragments of rock.
The lava dome of Popocatepetl, some 50 miles to the southeast of the capital, started to expand on Friday, Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention said.
This change in activity in the 5,450 meter (17,900 foot) volcano could provoke big explosions capable of sending incandescent fragments out over considerable distances, as well as ash showers, the center said in a statement. Read more.
Francisco Guasco / EPA
Popocatepetl is seen during a vapor emission that was accompanied by an ash explosion, reaching ten kilometers high, in Puebla, Mexico, Nov. 20.
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