Pico de Tancítaro, also known as Volcán Tancítaro, is a volcanic mountain in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. It is located in Tancítaro municipality in Michoacán state. It is the highest peak in Michoacán.

Geology

Pico de Tancítaro is an

andesitic Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomin ...

dacitic Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyol ...

stratovolcano. It was active from 800,000 to 237,000 years ago, and is currently believed to be extinct. It is part of the much larger Michoacán–Guanajuato volcanic field. Portions of the volcanic field are still active.

Parícutin Parícutin (or Volcán de Parícutin, also accented Paricutín) is a cinder cone volcano located in the Mexican state of Michoacán, near the city of Uruapan and about west of Mexico City. The volcano surged suddenly from the cornfield of loca ...

is a young volcano located 11 km northeast of Pico de Tancítaro. It first erupted in 1943 and remained active and grew in size until 1952.

Ecology

Plant communities on the mountain include pine-oak forest, open pine forest, and montane mesophyll or cloud forest, with alpine grasslands, known as Zacatonal, at higher elevations."El Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Pico de Tancítaro, proveedora de agua de al menos a 82 comunidades". Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Government of Mexico. Published 19 August 2018. Accessed 14 December 2020

/ref> Pine-oak forest is the predominant plant community from the base of the mountain to 3450 meters elevation. Common pine species include '' Pinus pseudostrobus, Pinus montezumae,

Pinus devoniana ''Pinus devoniana'' is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found in more than 15 states of Mexico - from S. Sinaloa to Chiapas - and Guatemala in montane, relatively open pine or pine-oak forests at altitudes from .Farjon et al. 19 ...

'', and '' Pinus teocote'', with '' Pinus douglasiana'' and ''

Pinus maximinoi ''Pinus maximinoi'', commonly known as thinleaf pine, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican St ...

'' less common. Oaks, including '' Quercus crassipes, Quercus laurina'', and '' Quercus rugosa'', occur between 2100 and 2800 meters elevation, either dominant or co-dominant with pines. The broadleaf trees and shrubs ''

Alnus acuminata ''Alnus acuminata'' is a species of deciduous tree in the Betulaceae family. It is found in montane forests from central Mexico to Argentina.Zuloaga, F. O., O. N. Morrone, M. J. Belgrano, C. Marticorena & E. Marchesi. (eds.) 2008. Catálogo de la ...

, Arbutus glandulosa, Berberis moranensis, Eupatorium mairetianum'', and '' Lippia umbellata'' are also found among the oaks and pines. Forests of oyamel fir (''

Abies religiosa ''Abies religiosa'', the oyamel fir or sacred fir, (known as in Spanish) is a fir native to the mountains of central and southern Mexico (Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Sierra Madre del Sur) and western Guatemala. It grows at high altitudes o ...

'') occur in well-watered areas between 2450 and 3400 meters elevation, in pure stands or mixed with pines and oaks. ''

Pinus hartwegii ''Pinus hartwegii'' ( syn. ''P. rudis'', ''P. donnell-smithii''), Hartweg's pine or pino de las alturas, is a pine native to the mountains of Mexico and Central America east to Honduras. It is named after Karl Theodor Hartweg, who described it in ...

'' becomes dominant around 3400 meters elevation.Ruiz, Ignacio. (2002). Flora del Parque Nacional Pico de Tancítaro, Michoacán. Secretaria de Urbanismo y Medio Ambiente, Gobierno del Estado de Michoacan de Ocampo. Mountain mesophilic forest, or cloud forest, is found on slopes between 2000 and 2600 meters elevation with high year-round humidity and frequent fog, particularly in ravines which offer year-round water and protection from drying winds and sun. Typical trees include '' Quercus calophylla, Carpinus tropicalis'', '' Alnus arguta, Crataegus mexicana'', and species of ''

Meliosma ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists take a ...

Symplocos ''Symplocos'' is a genus of flowering plants in the order Ericales. It contains about 300 species distributed in Asia and the Americas. Many species grow in humid tropical regions. This is sometimes considered to be the only genus in family Sym ...

Prunus ''Prunus'' is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes (among many others) the fruits plums, Cherry, cherries, peaches, Peach#Nectarine, nectarines, apricots, and almonds. Native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of Sou ...

Cinnamomum ''Cinnamomum'' is a genus of evergreen aromatic trees and shrubs belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The species of ''Cinnamomum'' have aromatic oils in their leaves and bark. The genus contains approximately 250 species, distributed in ...

Styrax ''Styrax'' (common names storax or snowbell) is a genus of about 130 species of large shrubs or small trees in the family Styracaceae, mostly native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the majority in eastern ...

, Tilia,

Viburnum ''Viburnum'' is a genus of about 150–175 species of flowering plants in the moschatel family Adoxaceae. Its current classification is based on molecular phylogeny. It was previously included in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. The membe ...

'', and ''

Xylosma ''Xylosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Salicaceae. It contains around 100 species of evergreen shrubs and trees commonly known as brushhollies, xylosmas, or, more ambiguously, " logwoods". The generic name is derived from the ...

''. Creepers and lianas include species of '' Archibaccharis,

Celastrus ''Celastrus'', commonly known as staff vine, staff tree or bittersweet, is a genus in the family Celastraceae which comprises about 30-40 species of shrubs and vines. They have a wide distribution in East Asia, Australasia, Africa, and the Amer ...

, Philadelphus,

Smilax ''Smilax'' is a genus of about 300–350 species, found in the tropics and subtropics worldwide. In China for example about 80 are found (39 of which are endemic), while there are 20 in North America north of Mexico. They are climbing flowering ...

'', and ''

Vitis ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 79 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, ...

''. epiphytes are abundant, including ferns, orchids, bromeliads, and species of

Piperaceae The Piperaceae (), also known as the pepper family, are a large family of flowering plants. The group contains roughly 3,600 currently accepted species in 5 genera. The vast majority of species can be found within the two main genera: ''Piper'' ...

and

Crassulaceae The Crassulaceae (from Latin ''crassus'', thick), also known as the stonecrop family or the orpine family, are a diverse family of dicotyledon flowering plants characterized by succulent leaves and a unique form of photosynthesis, known as Crass ...

. Subalpine grasslands, known as Zacatonal or zacatal, occur as low as 3000 meters elevation on outcrops of volcanic sandstone, and become predominant above 3400 meters elevation. Woodlands of ''

Juniperus monticola ''Juniperus monticola'', or mountain juniper, is a species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is found only in Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, ...

'' with a subalpine grassland understory are common around 3500 meters elevation. Typical grasses are '' Aegopogon cenchroides, Bouteloua purpurea, Bromus exaltatus, Festuca amplissima, Festuca breviglumis, Muhlenbergia macroura,

Poa annua ''Poa annua'', or annual meadow grass (known in America more commonly as annual bluegrass or simply poa), is a widespread low-growing turfgrass in temperate climates. Notwithstanding the reference to annual plant in its name, perennial bio-types ...

Piptochaetium ''Piptochaetium'', or speargrass, is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to North and South America. ''Piptochaetium'' is a bunchgrass genus in the tribe Stipeae.Clayton, W. D., et al. (2006 onwards)''Piptochaetium''.GrassBase - The Onl ...

'' sp., '' Trisetum virlettii'', and '' Zeugités americana''. Herbs and shrubs include species of '' Arenaria,

Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' ...

Cerastium ''Cerastium'' is a genus of annual, winter annual, or perennial plants belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae. They are commonly called mouse-ear chickweed. Species are found nearly worldwide but the greatest concentration is in the northern tem ...

Cirsium ''Cirsium'' is a genus of perennial and biennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae, one of several genera known commonly as thistles. They are more precisely known as plume thistles. These differ from other thistle genera (''Carduus'', '' Sily ...

Draba ''Draba'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, commonly known as whitlow-grasses (though they are not related to the true grasses). Species There are over 400 species: *'' Draba abajoensis'' Windham & Al-Shehbaz *'' ...

, Eryngium,

Gnaphalium ''Gnaphalium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, commonly called cudweeds. They are widespread and common in temperate regions, although some are found on tropical mountains or in the subtropical regions of the world. Cudw ...

Juniperus Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

Luzula ''Luzula'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rush family Juncaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species occurring throughout the world, especially in temperate regions, the Arctic, and higher elevation areas in the tropi ...

Phacelia ''Phacelia'' (phacelia, scorpionweed, heliotrope) is a genus of about 200 species of annual or perennial herbaceous plants in the borage family, native to North and South America. California is particularly rich in species with over 90 recorded ...

Plantago ''Plantago'' is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Plantaginaceae, commonly called plantains or fleaworts. The common name plantain is shared with the unrelated cooking plantain. Most are herbaceous plants, though ...

Potentilla ''Potentilla'' is a genus containing over 300Guillén, A., et al. (2005)Reproductive biology of the Iberian species of ''Potentilla'' L. (Rosaceae).''Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madrid'' 1(62) 9–21. species of annual, biennial and perenni ...

Ranunculus ''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about almost 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The genus is distributed in Europe ...

Senecio ''Senecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels. Variously circumscribed taxonomically, the genus ''Senecio'' is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. Description Mor ...

'', and '' Trisetum''. The mountain is home to about 207 species of animals, including

Cooper's hawk Cooper's hawk (''Accipiter cooperii'') is a medium-sized hawk native to the North American continent and found from southern Canada to Mexico. This species is a member of the genus ''Accipiter'', sometimes referred to as true hawks, which are f ...

(''Accipiter cooperii''), Brown-backed solitaire (''Myadestes occidentalis''), blunt-headed salamander (''Ambystoma amblycephalum''), Pátzcuaro peeping frog (''Eleutherodactylus angustidigitorum''), Montezuma leopard frog (''Lithobates montezumae''), mud turtles (''Kinosternon'' sp.), Popocatepetl alligator lizard (''Barisia imbricata''), and Baird's patchnose snake (''Salvadora bairdi''), among others.

Pico de Tancítaro Flora and Fauna Protection Area

Pico de Tancítaro Flora and Fauna Protection Area covers 23,405 ha, ranging from 2,200 to 3,840 meters in elevation.Paredes, Julián & Cervantes-Martínez, Rosalinda & Trucíos, Ramón. (2013). "Reconstruction of Severe Droughts in "Pico de Tancíntaro" National Park, Michoacán". Revista Chapingo Serie Zonas Áridas. XII. 57-62. 10.5154/r.rchsza.2012.06.026. The area was designated a national park on 27 July 1940, and redesignated a flora and fauna protection area on 19 August 2009. It is still widely known as Pico de Tancítaro National Park. The protected area includes both Pico de Tancítaro and Parícutin.

References

{{Reflist Volcanoes of Michoacán Landforms of Michoacán Mountains of Mexico Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Flora and fauna protection areas of Mexico Important Bird Areas of Mexico Protected areas of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Protected areas of Michoacán Michoacán–Guanajuato volcanic field