Wednesday, November 12

The Weird Case Of The Volcano Which Popped Up From A Corn Field

Paricutin volcano in 1943

I was looking for a suitable image, in the public domain, for Bonfire Night (5th of November) to put on my Google+ page and came across the above photo. It turned out not to be a bonfire but a volcano. I read that it was called Paricutin and was in Mexico.

A couple of days later I was looking through an old book from the 1950s. I've mentioned previously how I often buy old books. This particular one was a children's annual called Lion. I remember the Lion comic from when I was a small child. I flicked through the pages and on page 123 I saw the following image from a section of the book called Facts from Near and Far.

The formation of Paricutin volcano, Mexico
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1954 Lion Annual
According to the1954 Lion annual: "One day in 1943, a Mexican farmer was amazed to find a volcano thrusting itself up through one of his fields. Given the name Paracutin, the volcano has built itself up to a height of 1,500 feet above ground - and it is still active!"

The photo at the top of the page was taken while the Paricutin was erupting in 1943 (the Lion spells the name of the volcano slightly differently).

I looked for more information and Wikipedia agrees with the version of events:

"Three weeks before the actual eruption, rumbling noises that resembled thunder were heard by people near Parícutin village. These were actually deep earthquakes.

The volcano began as a fissure in a cornfield owned by a P'urhépecha farmer, Dionisio Pulido, on February 20, 1943. He and his wife witnessed the initial eruption of ash and stones first-hand while working in the field.

The volcano grew quickly, reaching five stories tall in just a week, and it could be seen from afar in a month. Much of the volcano's growth occurred during its first year, while it was still in the explosive pyroclastic phase. The nearby villages Parícutin (after which the volcano was named) and San Juan Parangaricutiro were buried in lava and ash; the residents relocated to vacant land nearby."

I have since read that the height of the volcano is 1,353 feet and is 9,186 feet above sea level. The eruptions continued from 1943 to 1952,

Must have been quite a shock for the farmer, Dionisio Pulido.

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10 comments:

  1. That is one large volcano!

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  2. Wow! What are the chances of coming upon this image AND the Lion issue with this story! Quite a story for the farmer to tell as well!

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    1. Sometimes the pieces do seem to fit together!

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  3. Yikes, wouldn't want that happening on my farm either....

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  4. Suzie14:23

    Unbelievable! That must have been one big surprise for the farmer.

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    1. I'm sure it was a bit of a shock!

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  5. What a great synchro! Is this an example of the "information angel?! That poor farmer...

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    1. See Trish's post in the 'Information Angel' on http://www.synchrosecrets.com/synchrosecrets/?p=22875

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