The debris avalanche and debris flow from the Tancitaro volcano

In the SW sector of the Tarascan corridor we can observe two important volcanic activities, a composite collapsed volcano (Tancitaro) and a big concentration of monogenetical volcanoes. Both edified over granitic an andesitic bedrock. The NE-SW faults are the principal structures that control the distribution of the monogenetical volcanoes, but there is also NNW-SSE faulting with volcanic alineation. The Tancitaro volcano is located in the intersection of the NW-SE and NE-SW structures. The Tancitaro Volcano is one of the highest volcanoes in the central part of the Mexican Volcanic Belt (3840 msnm), is an andesitic to dacitic composite cone., its morphology is characterized also by U-shaped, glacially incised valleys, which are cut by an east-facing horseshoe-shaped crater. A big fan was deposited on the Tepalcatepec depression. The fan from the Tancitaro collapse is formed by fluvial, debris avalanche and debris flow deposit. It is 60 km large and has an area of approximately 176 km2. If we consider that the last glacial period was 10000 and 6000 years ago and that the Tancitaro collapse structures cut the glacial valleys the debris avalanche belongs to an Holocene deposit. A Morphological and mapped study was performed in the fan deposit and show two important flows, the first is formed by a debris avalanche and the second corresponds to a debris flow.