were covered by this ash fall. Later eruptions from El Jorullo were magmatic with neither mud nor water flows. This 15 year eruption was the longest one El Jorullo has had, and was the longest cinder cone eruption known. Lava flows can still be seen to the north and west of the volcano. The eruption had a VEI of 4. Parícutin and El Jorullo both rose in an area known for its volcanoes. Called the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, the region stretches about from east to west across southern Mexico. The eruptive activity deposited a layer of volcanic rock some 6,000 feet thick, creating a high and fertile plateau. During summer months, the heights snag moisture-laden breezes from the Pacific Ocean; rich farmland, in turn, has made this belt the most populous region in Mexico. Though the region already boasted three of the country's four largest cities: Mexico City, Puebla, and Guadalajara (the area around Parícutin, some 200 miles west of the capital), it was still a peaceful backwater inhabited by Purépecha in the early 1940s. The crater and lake can now be reached by car. See also List of volcanoes in Mexico References "El Jorullo: Credits". Volcano World. Retrieved 16 Apr 2008. "El Jorullo: Credits". Popular Science Monthly. Retrieved 17 Apr 2008. "El Jorullo: Credits". Bartleby.com. Retrieved 17 Apr 2008. External links Landforms of Michoacán Volcanoes of Michoacán Mountains of Mexico Pyroclastic cones Cinder cones Michoacán–Guanajuato volcanic field