July 18, 2006 Eruption of Tungurahua
Tungurahua in Ecuador erupted on July 18, 2006 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. The eruption killed 1 person.
Where it erupted
Tungurahua, Ecuador, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- July 18, 2006
- Volcano
- Tungurahua, stratovolcano
- Country
- Ecuador
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
- Location
- 1.467° S, 78.442° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Weekly Report 12-18 July 2006: During 12-18 July, eruptive activity at Tungurahua increased. Incandescent blocks rolled 500 m down the flanks and steam emissions with moderate ash content reached heights of 300 m above the crater (17,500 ft a.s.l.) during 11-13 July. On 14 July, a large eruption generated ash clouds that reached heights of 15 km above the summit (66,000 ft a.s.l.)... Over 3,700 people from seven small villages near the volcano evacuated to nearby towns... On 18 July, moderate explosions produced steam columns that reached maximum heights of 3 km above the crater (26,300 ft a.s.l.). A child died after ash inhalation complicated a heart illness. (reference #2432)
Other significant eruptions of Tungurahua
More
Every eruption in 2006The 2000sTungurahuaEarthquakes near TungurahuaThis day in weather history
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-10-01. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 5527.