In April 2015, a volcano in Ecuador awoke from its restless slumber. The mountain shook with hundreds of earthquakes, and a thin tendril of steam escaped from Cotopaxi’s core. Each day, locals could see smoke and ash spiraling above the peak as seismic activity ramped up.

In June, Ana Isabel Jácome Rosenfeld returned to her hometown of San Rafael in the shadow of Cotopaxi, after completing a doctoral fellowship in the United States. She immediately began reading about the volcanic activity, and what she learned terrified her.

“Oh Jesus Christ, we’re going to die!” she thought. Read more at The Atlantic.