Report on Santa Maria (Guatemala) — 13 July-19 July 2005
Smithsonian / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 13 July-19 July 2005
Global Volcanism Program, 2005. Report on Santa Maria (Guatemala). In: Mayberry, G (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 13 July-19 July 2005. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
Volcano Profile | Weekly Report (13 July-19 July 2005)
During 13-18 July, weak-to-moderate explosions continued at Santa María's Santiaguito lava-dome complex, with plumes rising to ~1.3 km above the volcano (16,600 ft a.s.l.) on the 13th. Avalanches of volcanic material were produced at the front of an active lava flow, and from the SW edge of Caliente Dome.
Geologic Background. Symmetrical, forest-covered Santa María volcano is one of the most prominent of a chain of large stratovolcanoes that rises dramatically above the Pacific coastal plain of Guatemala. The stratovolcano has a sharp-topped, conical profile that is cut on the SW flank by a 1.5-km-wide crater. The oval-shaped crater extends from just below the summit to the lower flank and was formed during a catastrophic eruption in 1902. The renowned Plinian eruption of 1902 that devastated much of SW Guatemala followed a long repose period after construction of the large basaltic-andesite stratovolcano. The massive dacitic Santiaguito lava-dome complex has been growing at the base of the 1902 crater since 1922. Compound dome growth at Santiaguito has occurred episodically from four westward-younging vents, the most recent of which is Caliente. Dome growth has been accompanied by almost continuous minor explosions, with periodic lava extrusion, larger explosions, pyroclastic flows, and lahars.