Nevado de Colima

The Nevado de Colima volcano is an ancient volcanic massif located in the Mexican state of Jalisco, in the western part of the country. It has a height of 4270 meters above sea level and no volcanic activity. Its summit has been severely eroded by fire, making it difficult to determine some aspects of its violent history. Today, remains of lava materials in the volcano and pyroclastic flows from the snow-capped mountain more than 80 kilometers away from the crater can be found due to a catastrophic eruption accompanied by avalanches and voluminous lahars that is thought to have occurred before the Pleistocene.

Unlike the rest of the country's large stratovolcanoes, which are associated with the subduction of the Cocos plate beneath the North American plate, the Jalisco volcanic complex is associated with an irregular tectonic movement, which is fed by the transfer of the Jalisco Tectonic Block to the Rivera sub-plate. This movement shifts Jalisco's western sector to the west. It is situated in an area characterized by the formation of grabens and geological faults that run through the state's central region, forming a great horseshoe from Jalisco to Tepic.

The Nevado's vegetation consists of temperate and cold forests of pine-oak, fir, and juniper. There is an ecosystem known as alpine tundra at an altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level, where grasses and mosses are the dominant plants because trees (pines, oyamels) stop growing at this altitude. The humidity conditions of the high mountains, as well as the warm currents that come from the south-west orientation (Colima), provide special conditions for habitats that benefit a wide range of animal species.

Location: Jalisco, Mexico

Elevation: 4270 m (14,009 ft)