Cuexcomate

Cuexcomate (Spanish pronunciation: [kweɣskoˈmate]) is an inactive geyser in Puebla city, Puebla state, Mexico. The sinter cone that the geyser built up around its vent is 13 metres (43 ft) tall and has a diameter of 23 metres (75 ft). A central crater within the cone is up to 8 metres (26 ft) wide and 17 metres (56 ft) deep (extending 4 metres (13 ft) below ground level). Cuexcomate's name is derived from the Nahuatl term cuezcomatl "a large earthen jar used to store grain", which it resembles. The geyser was formed before the 1064 eruption of the Popocatépetl, an active volcano and the second highest peak in Mexico, which likely activated geothermal spring circulation that cut upward through Mesozoic limestone and deposited the geyser and the springs around it. The geyser's rock composition is 99% calcite, differing from typical silica sinter deposits. Cuexcomate has been mistakenly called 'the smallest volcano in the world' because of the mistaken belief that it was a volcano, based on its shape. A metal spiral staircase allows tourists to descend into the excavated interior of the structure, where cultural events are occasionally held.