The Bárcena volcano is an active but not currently erupting cinder cone type volcano that encompasses the southern end of the San Benedicto Island, Mexico. It is grouped with a chain of volcanic islands known as the Revillagigedo Islands. These islands are situated in close proximity to each other, and can be found in the Pacific Ocean. They are also considered to be part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Volcán Bárcena is positioned off the south-eastern coast of the Baja California peninsula.Speck, Susan. "Socorro Islands". ScubaWizard.com – The Most Comprehensive Scuba Diving Site Around. 2 May 2007. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <http://www.scubawizard.com/articles/articles/3/1/Socorro-Islands/Page1.html>. The closest city to Barcena is Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.Virtual Mexico. "Baja California Mexico including La Paz, Ensenada, Los Cabos, San Felipe, Loreto, Mulege". Virtual Mexico: Maps, Mexico Travel, Mexican Art, Crafts, Hotels. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <http://www.virtualmex.com/baja.htm >.
Eruption/Creation The Volcan Barcena was created by a series of eruptions that started on 1 August 1952. The first eruption took place in the early morning, and was rated at a 3.0 on the volcanic scale.Caine, Fraser. "Barcena Volcano." Universe Today. 5 June 2009. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <http://www.universetoday.com/32083/barcena-volcano/>. This eruption spewed immense amounts of ash and rock. The eruption is responsible for the formation of the base of the volcano and the overall extension of the island, the second eruption is responsible for the formation of a large crater inside of the volcanic cone, and the third has been widely accepted as the cause of lava discharge throughout the island.Search, John. "Bárcena Volcano, Mexico – John Seach." Volcano Live, John Seach. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://www.volcanolive.com/barcena.html>. The series of eruptions that created the volcano came to an end less than seven months later. At its peak, the Barcena Volcano reaches a height of .Volcanodb. "Barcena." Volcanoes – Volcanoes Statistics – Volcano Eruptions. 2007. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <http://www.volcanodb.com/volcano/1103/Barcena >.
San Benedicto rock wren On 1 August 1952, lava fountains started to break out of the Boquerón vent, located in a rift between the two older volcano cones. By around 8:45, ejecta were thrown up for several km in a severe vulcanian eruption of magnitude 3 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index scale; pyroclastic flows rolled over the island. Global Volcanism Program (2007): Bárcena. Version of 2007-AUG-05. Retrieved 2007-NOV-13.Mattox, Steve (2006): References on Isla San Benedicto . Version of 2006-SEP-11. Retrieved 2007-NOV-13.
Two weeks later, the entire island was covered in ash and pumice up to deep. Bárcena crater, high, rose where the wren's habitat had previously existed. The birds were never seen again.
The San Benedicto rock wren was the only endemic terrestrial bird on San Benedicto, and it was one of two landbirds on San Benedicto, sharing the island with western ravens, which were wiped out by the eruption as well. Unlike many species that have become extinct in modern times, humans were not responsible for the San Benedicto Rock Wren's extinction.
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