Ambato, Ecuador
Ambato lies in the main valley of the Central Cordillera, the highest of the Andean mountain ranges. The city itself is carved into the side of Cerro Casigana, the mountain that dominates the north end of the city. From Ambato, it is possible to see many snow-capped volcanoes including Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Carihuairazo, and the largest mountain in Ecuador, Chimborazo. Tungurahua lies about 40 kilometers to the southeast. The threat of eruption from the volcano is constant. On May 16, 2006, Tungurahua erupted, covering the city with a thick layer of ash.
Kenneth Sims (geologist)
Sims conducted numerous expeditions into the Ecuadorian volcanoes. Funded by the National Geographic Society in 2014, Sims led a month-long expedition into the remote Sangay volcano (5,300 meters/17,400 feet ASL), which is one of the highest and most continuously active volcanoes in the world. In 2016, while living in Ecuador for six months on a US Fulbright Scholarship, Sims conducted several two-week expeditions to collect samples on the steep, glacially dissected flanks and high-altitude ridges of Chimborazo (6,263 meters/20,548 feet ASL). Sims has also conducted and published NSF- and UW-funded research on the volcanoes Reventador, Sumaco, and the Chalupas Caldera.