ESCUINTLA

Past Eruptions

SACATEPEQUEZ Fuego, Agua   and Acatenango 

Volcán Fuego, one of Central America's most active volcanoes, is one of three large stratovolcanoes overlooking Guatemala's former capital, Antigua. The scarp of an older edifice, Meseta, lies between 3763-m-high Fuego and its twin volcano to the north, Acatenango. Construction of Meseta volcano dates back to about 230,000 years and continued until the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. Collapse of Meseta volcano may have produced the massive Escuintla debris-avalanche deposit, which extends about 50 km onto the Pacific coastal plain. Growth of the modern Fuego volcano followed, continuing the southward migration of volcanism that began at Acatenango. In contrast to the mostly andesitic Acatenango volcano, eruptions at Fuego have become more mafic with time, and most historical activity has produced basaltic rocks. Frequent vigorous historical eruptions have been recorded at Fuego since the onset of the Spanish era in 1524, and have produced major ashfalls, along with occasional pyroclastic flows and lava flows

Acatenango, 3946 mt.

Volcán de Agua  3720 mt.

The symmetrical, forested Volcán de Agua stratovolcano forms an impressive backdrop to the historic former capital city of Antigua Guatemala, opposite the twin volcanoes of Fuego and Acatenango. The 3760-m-high basaltic-andesite to andesite Agua volcano has an isolated position that makes it a prominent landmark from all directions. A small, 280-m-wide circular crater is breached on the NNE side. Six small pit craters are located on the NW flank, and two small cones lie on the south flank. Agua's symmetrical profile implies a relatively young age, although currently no dated Holocene tephra deposits are known. Agua has had no historical eruptions, but its name (the water volcano) originates from a devastating mudflow on September 11, 1541. The mudflow destroyed the second Guatemalan capital city established by the Spanish Conquistadors, which is now known as Ciudad Vieja. The catastrophe prompted the establishment of a new capital city at nearby Antigua.

QUETZALTENANGO

Almolonga, 3197mt,

Volcán de Almolonga is an andesitic stratovolcano with a 3.3-km-wide late-Pleistocene central caldera that is located along the Zunil fault zone. The caldera is surrounded by a ring-dike configuration of dacitic and rhyolitic lava domes. The youngest and only historically active dome complex is Cerro Quemado (whose name means Burned Peak), located immediately south of Guatemala's second largest city, Quetzaltenango. About 1200 radiocarbon years ago, part of the andesitic-to-dacitic Cerro Quemado dome collapsed, producing a debris avalanche and an associated lateral explosion that swept across the valley to the west as far as the flanks of Siete Orejas volcano. The latest eruption in 1818 produced a blocky 2.5-km-long lava flow. Hot springs are located on the northern and eastern flanks of Cerro Quemado, and the Zuníl geothermal field, the site of a geothermal exploration project, lies on the SE flank of Cerro Quemado.

Zunil 3542 mt. , Quetzaltenango

Santa María 3572 mt. and Santiaguito. Quetzaltenango.

Santiaguito 2520 mt Crater, Quetzaltenango

SOLOLA

Lake Atitlán  volcanoes:

 Atitlán, 3557 mt,  

Volcán Atitlán is one of several prominent conical stratovolcanoes in the Guatemalan highlands. Along with its twin volcano Tolimán to the north, it forms a dramatic backdrop to Lake Atitlán, one of the scenic highlights of the country. The 3535-m-high summit of Atitlán directly overlies the inferred margin of the Pleistocene Atitlán III caldera and is the highest of three large post-caldera stratovolcanoes constructed near the southern caldera rim. The volcano consequently post-dates the eruption of the voluminous, roughly 85,000-year-old rhyolitic Los Chocoyos tephra associated with formation of the Atitlán III caldera. The historically active andesitic Volcán Atitlán is younger than Tolimán, although their earlier activity overlapped. In contrast to Tolimán, Atitlán displays a thick pyroclastic cover. The northern side of the volcano is wooded to near the summit, whereas the upper 1000 m of the southern slopes are unvegetated. Predominantly explosive eruptions have been recorded from Volcán Atitlán since the 15th century

  San Pedro, 3027 mt.

  Tolimán,3158 mt.

Cerro de Oro and San Pedro

Tahual,1716 mt

TOTONICAPÁN

Tacaná is a 4060-m-high composite stratovolcano that straddles the México/Guatemala border at the NW end of the Central American volcanic belt. The volcano rises 1800 m above deeply dissected plutonic and metamorphic terrain. The elongated summit region is dominated by a series of lava domes intruded along a NE-SW trend. Volcanism has migrated to the SW, and a small adventive lava dome is located in the crater of the youngest volcano, San Antonio, on the upper SW flank. Viscous lava flow complexes are found on the north and south flanks, and lobate lahar deposits fill many valleys. Radial drainages on the Guatemalan side are deflected by surrounding mountains into the Pacific coastal plain on the SW side of the volcano. Historical activity has been restricted to mild phreatic eruptions, but more powerful explosive activity, including the production of pyroclastic flows, has occurred as recently as about 1950 years ago.

The Cuilapa-Barbarena volcanic field contains approximately 70 Quaternary cinder cones, generally less than 100 m high. Many of the mostly basaltic cones are located along the strike of the major regional Jalpatagua fault, which extends SE from Guatemala City, north of the chain of stratovolcanoes stretching across Guatemala. The cones were erupted from fracture systems related to the intersection of the Jalpatagua fault with the southern and western margins of the Miocene Santa Rosa de Lima caldera and overlie pyroclastic-flow deposits from Amatitlán caldera to the NW. The age of the most recent eruptions is not known, although the youngest cones post-date the last phase of eruptive activity at Tecuamburro volcano and could be of Holocene age (Reynolds, 1987). Williams (1960) considered the most recent eruptions from the Cuilapa-Barbarena volcanic field to have occurred within the last few thousand years

JALAPA

JUTIAPA

Cerro Santiago  1192 m, Volcan Culma 1,027m

A cluster of  cones and low shield volcanoes surrounds the city of Jutiapa in SE Guatemala. The most prominent feature is Cerro Santiago, one of two coalescing cinder cones capping a low shield volcano SE of Jutiapa.,  flows from the twin Los Cerritos cones NE of Jutiapa cross the Interamerican highway. Volcán Culma forms a steep-sided basaltic lava mound immediately east of the city. To the west, Cerro Gordo or Volcano Amayo), a craterless cinder cone surrounded by basaltic lava flows. It is one of several cinder cones to have produced lava flows that blanket the landscape between Jutiapa and Tertiary volcanic hills to the south.

Volcán de Flores is one of the largest of a cluster of small stratovolcanoes located in SE Guatemala behind the volcanic front. Volcán de Flores, also known as Volcán Amayo, lies about 10 km west of the city of Jutiapa, at the SW end of the SE Guatemala volcanic platform. The 1600-m-high summit rises up to 600 m above a basement of Cretaceous and Tertiary sedimentary rocks and contains a shallow crater breached on its eastern side. Satellitic cones occur at the southern and eastern base of the dominantly basaltic Flores volcano. Youthful lava flows occur at the NE base of the volcano, near El Aguacite

Las Viboras Volcano (The snaques) 1100 mts

Volcán las Viboras, a cinder cone 1100 mts,.that caps a basaltic shield volcano, is the most prominent of several fault-controlled cones near Laguna Atescatempo. Flank fissures have fed many youthful lava flows, particularly on the western flank of Chingo and the northern flank of Volcán las Viboras

CHIQUIMULA

Chiquimula Volcanic Field    1192 m

The Chiquimula volcanic field occupies a fault-bounded basin underlain by Cretaceous plutonic rocks in the Chiquimula Valley of SE Guatemala. Initial eruptions during the Pleistocene produced mesa-forming basaltic lava flows along the N-S-trending fault forming the eastern edge of the Ipala graben. These were followed by the eruption of widespread lava flows NW of Chiquimula town that covered about 12 sq km. The most recent eruptions produced basaltic cinder cones and lava flows near the northern edge of Chiquimula town. The cinder cones were constructed along a N-S-trending fracture, with Cerro Grande at the northern end being the largest and Cerro Chiquito at the southern end being the youngest. The lava flows from Cerro Chiquito are so fresh and sparsely vegetated they were considered by Williams et al. (1964) to possibly be less than 1000 years old.

Volcán Chingo is a symmetrical stratovolcano that straddles the Guatemala/El Salvador border. The 1775-m-high conical volcano rises 900 m above its surroundings and is the most prominent regional landmark. A shallow, oval-shaped summit crater is breached on the western side. No historical eruptions are known from the Volcán Chingo volcanic field. Other small stratovolcanoes and cinder cones are located on both sides of the volcano along a major N-S-trending fault. Other youthful cones, such as Cerro de Olla, lie across the Salvadorian border to the south. To the north in Guatemala, Volcán las Viboras, a cinder cone that caps a basaltic shield volcano, is the most prominent of several fault-controlled cones near Laguna Atescatempo. Flank fissures have fed many youthful lava flows, particularly on the western flank of Chingo and the northern flank of Volcán las Viboras

Ipala  1650-m

Ixtepeque volcano, which takes its name from the Aztec word for obsidian, is perhaps the largest obsidian field in North America, including red obsidian.. A 4 x 5 km wide rhyolitic obsidian lava field was erupted within the Ipala graben from a craterless vent along a NE-trending fissure that passes through adjacent rhyolitic lava domes and basaltic cinder cones. Obsidian from Ixtepeque has shown up at archaeological sites across Central America. Flat-lying pumice beds produced by explosive eruptions preceding lava effusion are found locally around the volcano. Other obsidian flows originated from lava domes NE of Ixtepeque. These rhyolitic vents are interspersed with basaltic cinder cones and lava flows. Laguna de Obrajuelo is a complex cone cut by a large crater more than a km in diameter. Initial basaltic eruptions were followed by the extrusion of obsidian flows and the eruption of rhyolitic pumice that were considered by Williams et al. (1964) to be only a few thousand years old

Moyuta  1662 m

Moyuta is the easternmost of a chain of large stratovolcanoes extending along the volcanic front of Guatemala. The summit of the 1662-m-high volcano contains a cluster of forested lava domes. It is viewed here from a small lake to its SW at the edge of the Pacific coastal plain. The age of the latest eruption of Moyuta volcano is not known