Paricutín, volcano, western Michoacán state, west-central Mexico, just north of the Tancítaro Peak and 20 miles (32 km) west-northwest of Uruapan. It is one of the youngest volcanoes on Earth. On February 20, 1943, Paricutín began to erupt in an open field. The fire, lava, and ashes destroyed and buried two villages and hundreds of homes. In the first year, the volcano’s cone had risen 1,475 feet (450 metres) from the base (at 7,480 feet [2,280 metres] above sea level) and had buried the…
