Report on Santa Maria (Guatemala) — 29 October-4 November 2014
Smithsonian / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 29 October-4 November 2014
Global Volcanism Program, 2014. Report on Santa Maria (Guatemala). In: Sennert, S K (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 29 October-4 November 2014. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
Volcano Profile | Weekly Report (29 October-4 November 2014)
14.757°N, 91.552°W; summit elev. 3745 m
INSIVUMEH reported that during 1-4 November ash plumes from the active lava-flow front on the S flank of Santa María's Santiaguito lava-dome complex rose 200 m. Explosions during 3-4 November rose 500 m and drifted SW, producing ashfall in Monte Claro (S) and mountainous areas of Palajunoj village (18 km SSW).
Geologic Background. Symmetrical, forest-covered Santa María volcano is part of a chain of large stratovolcanoes that rise above the Pacific coastal plain of Guatemala. The sharp-topped, conical profile 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 vents, with activity progressing W towards the most recent, Caliente. Dome growth has been accompanied by almost continuous minor explosions, with periodic lava extrusion, larger explosions, pyroclastic flows, and lahars.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH)