Santa María Volcano Continues to Erupt

VOLCANIC HAZARD
SCENARIOS 07
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Mass evacuations ordered as  Santa María continues to erupt

Santa María volcano (volcán Santiaguito) is a large active volcano located in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, near he city of Quetzaltenango. The volcano has been eruting since May 9, 2014, forcing the authorities to evacuate hundreds of people.

Lahar races down a river valley near El Palmar

Original caption: Image provided by Guatemala’s Prensa Libre Newspaper on May 9, 2014 shows a man watching the volcanic material descending at El Palmar municipalty of Quetzaltenango department in Guatemala. The Santiaguito volcano continues its explosive activity with less intensity, according to technicians of Guatemala’s Disaster Reduction National Coordinator, according to local press. (Xinhua/Prensa Libre)

Santa María volcano erupts. Credit Daniel Leclair/ Reuters

Santa María’s eruption in 1902 is recorded as the fourth largest volcanic explosion of the 20th century with a VEI of 6 [‘Colossal’.]

The volcanic ash from the eruption was detected as far away as San Francisco, more than 4,000 km away.

Guatemala’s Santiaguito volcano continues to erupt

Santiaguito volcano rains ash over western Guatemala

On 20 April, INSIVUMEH reported explosions from Santa María’s Santiaguito, which produced ash plumes rising to altitudes of 2.8-3.4 km (9,200-11,200 feet), Global Volcanism Program said.

On Monday 26, April the volcano erupted violently sending a plume of ash 8.3 km (27,300 feet) a.s.l., news articles reported.

The volcano has calmed since Monday’s violent burst, however, it’s still erupting, according to disaster response agency spokesman David De Leon, AP said.

De Leon was quoted as saying that the eruption had damaged local flower harvests, though no injury was caused. A no-fly  ban was imposed 20 kilometers from the volcano  schools were closed in 10 communities as a precaution.

Formed during a catastrophic eruption in 1902, Santiaguito is  a 1-km-wide crater on the 3,772-meter Santa Maria volcano, located about 200 kilometers northwest of Guatemala City.

It’s believed that about 2,500 people were perished as a result of the 1902 eruption.

Santiaguito volcano, seen from the summit of Santamaria. GNU License.

Photo by Jon Fink, Arizona State University, 1988 (courtesy of Bill Rose, Michigan Technological University), via GVP.

Related Links:

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

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