Volcanoes of Mexico are related to
subduction of the
Cocos and
Rivera plates to the east, which has produced large
explosive eruptions. Most active volcanoes in Mexico occur in the
Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, which extends 900 kilometres (559 mi) from west to east across central-southern Mexico. A few other active volcanoes in northern Mexico are related to
extensional tectonics of the
Basin and Range Province, which split the Baja California peninsula from the mainland.
Popocatépetl lies in the eastern half of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, which is the second highest peak in Mexico after the
Pico de Orizaba. It is one of most active volcanoes in Mexico, having had more than 20 major eruptions since the arrival of the Spanish in 1519. The 1982 eruption of
El Chichón killed about 2,000 people who lived near the volcano. It created a 1 kilometre (1 mi) wide
caldera that filled with an
acidic crater lake. Prior to 2000, this relatively unknown volcano was heavily forested and of no greater height than adjacent non-volcanic peaks.
