Paricutin Volcano On Feb. 20, 1943, a cinder cone started growing in a corn field near the village of Paricutin, Mexico. The volcano buried the town of San Juan Parangaricutiro and the village of Paricutin. Paricutin gave volcanologists the chance to see the birth, growth and death of a volcano. It was greatly studied by them. Over the first year, the cone grew 1,100 feet (336 meters), the cone grew for another 8 years but only added on 290 feet (88 meters) to it's current height. Lava flows covered about 10 square miles (25 square km) and had a volume of about 0.3 cubic miles (1.4 cubic km). Paricutin's activity dropped until the last six months of the eruption. During the last six months the explosions were frequent and very violent. Paricutin died in 1952. Facts: -Paricutin poured out over 1 billion tons of lava during its nine-year life span. -Nobody was killed by the lava or ash but three were killed by lightning associated with Paricutin. -100 square miles were covered with ash. Natural Wonders >> Ancient Wonders >>