Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Stratigraphic range: Neogene to Quaternary
Six Mexican Volcanoes
Left to right Iztaccíhuatl, Popocatépetl, Matlalcueitl (Malinche), Nauhcampatépetl (Cofre de Perote, most distant), Citlaltépetl (Pico de Orizaba), Sierra Negra
TypeVolcanic arc
OverliesSierra Madre Occidental
Area160,000 kilometres (99,000 mi)2
ThicknessEast of 101°W 50-55 km West of 101°W 35-40 km
Location
Coordinates19°02′N 97°16′W / 19.03°N 97.27°W / 19.03; -97.27.
RegionCentral Mexico
CountryMexico
Extent1,000 kilometres (620 mi)

The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (Spanish: Eje Volcánico Transversal), also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the Sierra Nevada (Snowy Mountain Range), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico. Several of its highest peaks have snow all year long, and during clear weather, they are visible to a large percentage of those who live on the many high plateaus from which these volcanoes rise.