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Colorado volcano reminder of Mother Nature’s explosive might

The Dotsero crater from its eruption 4,200 years ago is clear to see from above Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020 near Glenwood Springs, Colo. The only active volcano in Colorado is just a rough 4-wheel drive road from Interstate 70 east of the Glenwood Canyon. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)

DOTSERO, Colo. (AP) — Travelers on Interstate 70 in western Colorado can see the fossilized flow of the state’s lone active volcano near the eastern entrance to Glenwood Canyon.

The nearby Dotsero volcano is now a sage-covered pit measuring 2,460 feet wide and 250 feet deep. It’s defined as active because it erupted within the last 10,000 years.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports the volcano is deemed a “moderate” threat. A 2018 government report ranked it 82nd on a risk list, which is topped by Kilauea in Hawaii and Mounts St. Helens and Rainier in Washington.