Mexico's Smoking Mountains

A farmer in the small town of Paricutin was working in his fields in February 1943 when he saw a huge crack appear in the ground. The crack caused the ground to swell several feet into the air, and foul-smelling smoke poured out of it. When the farmer returned the next day to investigate, he discovered a volcanic cone jutting 164 feet (50 meters) into the air. The cone grew at an alarming rate, and it took just 10 weeks to reach 1,000 feet (330 meters). By the time it stopped growing, it measured 1,391 feet (424 meters), just a few feet shorter than the Empire State Building. The new volcano was named Paricutin.

- Christine Graf

Within the first week of its formation, Paricutin began to spew ash onto the village that shared its name. As it grew in size, it rumbled with loud explosions. By June, lava flowed from the volcano and forced the evacuation of Paricutin. A neighboring village was evacuated a short time later, and both villages were soon covered by lava and ash. Several thousand people were displaced from their homes and were never able to return. Although the volcano remained active until 1952, about 90 percent of its lava and ash were ejected during its first year.

As news of the new volcano spread throughout the world, scientists rushed to Mexico to study it. They continued to observe it throughout its entire life cycle. This was the first time scientists were able to study a volcano from birth to extinction.