Fact Sheets & Video - Mexico

The mystery surrounding Paricutin Volcano

On one afternoon in February 1943 a local farmer was ploughing his cornfield some 30km west of Uruapan when the ground began to shake and swell and spurt steam, sparks and hot ash. The farmer at first tried to cover the moving earth, but when that proved futile, he fled - smart man. A volcano started to rise from the spot. Within a year it had risen over 400 meters above the surrounding land. The scientific world was almost as stunned as the hapless farmer himself by the volcano's sudden appearance and several years later it made its way onto UNESCO's Seven Wonders of the World list.

Slowly its lava continued to spit and engulfed the local surrounding villages. Today San Juan's Church protrudes eerily from the sea of solidified black lava and can be visited

Around the world, volcanic eruptions are commonplace, but the birth of an entirely new volcano, marked by the arrival at the earth's surface of a distinct vent from the magma chamber, is genuinely rare. In North America, only two new volcanoes have appeared in historic times. One of them was western Mexico's Jorullo, born in 1759 some 50 miles southeast of Dionisio Pulido's property. The second, born about 183 years later in Pulido's field, was named Paricutin for a nearby village that it eventually destroyed.

Paricutin and Jorullo both rose in an area known for its volcanoes. Called the Mexican Volcanic Belt, the region stretches about 700 miles from east to west across southern Mexico. Geologists say that eruptive activity deposited a layer of volcanic rock some 6,000 feet thick, creating a high and fertile plateau. During summer months, the heights snag moisture-laden breezes from the Pacific Ocean; rich farmland, in turn, has made this belt the most populous region in Mexico.

Further Information:

Mexico City, Mexico

United Airlines fly return to Los Angeles from

$2292 ex Sydney

For travel 1/11/08 to 9/12/08

131-777

www.unitedairlines.com.au

Prices correct at 13/5/08. Prices include surcharges, fees & taxes. Conditions apply.

US Airways fly return to Mexico City

From $643 ex Los Angeles

US Airways

1300-659-021

Prices correct at 12/5/08. Prices include surcharges, fees & taxes. Conditions apply.

Intrepid Travel

Mexico Unplugged

15 day tour from

$730 and local payment of $400US a person.

Tour departs Mexico City

1300-364-512

Prices correct at 12/5/08. Prices include surcharges, fees & taxes. Conditions apply.