Powerful Popocatépetl volcano near Mexico City erupts: Rattles homes miles away

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‘Incandescent rocks’ flew nearly 330 feet from the crater and the column of smoke and ash towered thousands of feet overhead, according to accounts.

Apocalypse wow!

A volcano southeast of Mexico City exploded in a violent eruption Tuesday. Dark clouds of ash rocketed sky-high, scattering white-hot cinders across its slopes and rattling homes as far as 25 miles.

Glowing shards of molten earth and "incandescent rocks" flew nearly 330 feet from the crater, and reached thousands of feet overhead.

The fierce blast occurred around 3:35 p.m., but came as no surprise to geologists who have been following Popocatépetl volcano's recent activity.

The volcano sent ash and smoke into the air

For months magma has pressed up against the top of the crater. Gaseous vapors have also seeped from its simmering crevices.

"Any time magma rises up, you see those steam plumes. All that pressure is released rapidly and everything fumes out the top," Erik Klemetti, volcanologist at Denison University, told the Daily News.

The blast's thunderous roar stopped locals cold in their tracks as it echoed throughout the region, reported newspaper La Jornada.

The last time Mexico experienced a rupture of this magnitude was two years ago, but there have been similar, smaller blasts over the past few months.

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