Yanaurcu is part of the Northern Volcanic Zone of the Andes which contains the arc volcanoes of Ecuador, which include Cayambe, Chachana, Cotopaxi, Illiniza, Pichincha, Pilavo, Pululagua, Reventador, Sangay, Sumaco and Tungurahua. Some of these volcanoes were active in historical times, while many more are extinct. Some large eruptions took place during the Holocene at Cuicocha, Pululagua and Quilotoa.