Santiaguito Volcano

Santiaguito Volcano Latest News

A group of hikers were forced to flee as Guatemala’s Santiaguito Volcano erupted recently, throwing rocks into the air around them.

About Santiaguito Volcano

• It is an active volcano located in western Guatemala near the city of Quetzaltenango.
• It was created in the wake of the Santa María Volcano’s 1902 eruption. 
  • This eruption destroyed Santa María’s former summit and left some 5,000 people dead. It was one of the largest eruptions of the 20th century.
  • Since then, new lava domes have grown inside the trench left by this eruption. 
  • Santiaguito is the youngest of these domes, having been created around 1922. 
• The massive Santiaguito dome complex has been growing ever since and is accompanied by continuous explosions, most of them minor. 
• The Santiaguito lava-dome complex is one of the most active volcanic areas in Guatemala and worldwide. 
• It belches smoke and ash on a regular basis but sometimes emits lava and pyroclastic flows.
• It reaches about 2,500 meters (8,202 feet).
• It currently has four craters, one of which is active. This gives it a completely different appearance than most volcanoes; it resembles a large rock with multiple peaks.
• The last major explosion occurred on April 25, 2010, when 10 people were killed by falling rocks after an eruption. 
• The deadliest explosion occurred in 1929, when more than 2500 people were killed.

Source: ALJ

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