Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano ‘El Popo’ spews plume of gas and ash 2 miles into air

A volcano in Mexico known as “El Popo” spewed a huge plume of ash cloud into the evening sky on Tuesday. 

Captivating video shows Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano unleashing smoke, ash and gas about two miles into the air. 

The near 18,000-foot-high volcano is just 45 miles southeast of Mexico City, where some 25 million people live within a 60-mile radius. Officials issued a yellow alert and cautioned people to stay away from the area. They said the ash could potentially impact Mexico City.

Popocatépetl came to life in 1994 after a decades-long dormancy and experienced periods of greater activity from 2000 to 2003 and 2012 to 2016.

It has been erupting two to three times daily for almost a week, according to the BBC.

The volcano was also active last May when it belched out towering clouds of ash that forced 11 villages to cancel school sessions.

Volcanic eruptions can cause hot lava and volcanic ash to escape from a magma chamber below its surface. Volcanoes are often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging.

Meanwhile, a volcano in Iceland that has been erupting since December appears to have quietened.

The volcano near the coastal town of Grindavík in southwestern Iceland led to the closure and evacuation of the popular tourist destination, Blue Lagoon.

It also prompted officials to declare a state of emergency.

The first eruption occurred on Dec. 18, and the second a month later.

During the January eruption, lava made its way into Grindavik and destroyed several homes and structures.

Fox Weather’s Steven Yablonski and Chris Oberholtz as well as the Associated Press contributed to this report.