Mount Misti, culminating at 5 822 meters above sea level, is a volcano located at 10 miles Northeast of the city center of Arequipa in Peru.

In the last few years, Arequipa has sprawled uncontrolled in the direction of the volcano, with the newest neighborhood built only 8 miles from the summit. The most stupefying characteristic of this town is the altitude difference between the summit of the volcano (5822 meters) and the city center (2 300 meters). In the case of an eruption, emitting a violent glowing cloud, these 3 500 meters of altitude difference that separate the summit from the center of town would be a determining factor as to the energy and the expansion of the products pouring out over the hillsides of Misti. The geological studies done on this volcano showed that it possesses two recurring cycles: the Plinian eruptions (the most violent) occur every 2000 years and those of least intensity every 500 years. The last Plinian eruption occurred about 2000 years ago. A very concerning fact... Misti has also known in 1454 an important explosive activity that covered the area of Arequipa with 1 cm of cinder. Recently, Misti manifested an important activity with some of them visible from the town of Arequipa, in 1985 and in 2001, reminding us the persistence of its activity and the potential threat weighing on the town of Arequipa.