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Nejapa-Miraflores

Photo of this volcano
  • Country
  • Primary Volcano Type
  • Last Known Eruption
  •  
  • 12.12°N
  • 86.32°W

  • 360 m
    1181 ft

  • 344092
  • Latitude
  • Longitude

  • Summit
    Elevation

  • Volcano
    Number

Most Recent Bulletin Report: February 1991 (BGVN 16:02) Citation IconCite this Report

No thermal activity despite reported gas emission after early 20th century quakes

"The alignment extends from Apoyeque to Managua (figure 1) and lies on the W boundary fault of the Managua graben. Phreatomagmatic and Strombolian activity occurred during the past 30,000 years, with about 40 separate eruptions, the most recent less than 2,500 years ago. A study well drilled to 300 m in the San Carlos crater did not detect thermal activity. There were reports of gas emission after earth tremors in the early 20th century (El Heraldo, 24 October 1916) and some aftershocks of the 1972 Managua earthquake were located on the alignment."

Figure (see Caption) Figure 1. Sketch map of the Nejapa-Miraflores alignment, after Bice (1980).

Reference. Bice, D.C., 1980, Tephra stratigraphy and physical aspects of recent volcanism near Managua, Nicaragua: Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 422 p.

Information Contacts: B. van Wyk de Vries, O. Castellón, A. Murales, and V. Tenorio, INETER.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Nejapa-Miraflores.

Bulletin Reports - Index

Reports are organized chronologically and indexed below by Month/Year (Publication Volume:Number), and include a one-line summary. Click on the index link or scroll down to read the reports.

02/1991 (BGVN 16:02) No thermal activity despite reported gas emission after early 20th century quakes




Information is preliminary and subject to change. All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


February 1991 (BGVN 16:02) Citation IconCite this Report

No thermal activity despite reported gas emission after early 20th century quakes

"The alignment extends from Apoyeque to Managua (figure 1) and lies on the W boundary fault of the Managua graben. Phreatomagmatic and Strombolian activity occurred during the past 30,000 years, with about 40 separate eruptions, the most recent less than 2,500 years ago. A study well drilled to 300 m in the San Carlos crater did not detect thermal activity. There were reports of gas emission after earth tremors in the early 20th century (El Heraldo, 24 October 1916) and some aftershocks of the 1972 Managua earthquake were located on the alignment."

Figure (see Caption) Figure 1. Sketch map of the Nejapa-Miraflores alignment, after Bice (1980).

Reference. Bice, D.C., 1980, Tephra stratigraphy and physical aspects of recent volcanism near Managua, Nicaragua: Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 422 p.

Information Contacts: B. van Wyk de Vries, O. Castellón, A. Murales, and V. Tenorio, INETER.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 8 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

1060 ± 100 years Confirmed Eruption Max VEI: 3 (?)

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode Nejapa maar
1060 ± 100 years - Unknown Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

List of 7 Events for Episode 1 at Nejapa maar

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Phreatomagmatic
   - - - -    - - - - Pyroclastic flow
   - - - -    - - - - Ash
   - - - -    - - - - Lapilli
   - - - -    - - - - Blocks
1060    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)

0550 BCE ± 500 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode PM5 tephra
0550 BCE ± 500 years - Unknown Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at PM5 tephra

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Phreatomagmatic
   - - - -    - - - - Tephra

3050 BCE ± 500 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode PM4 tephra
3050 BCE ± 500 years - Unknown Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at PM4 tephra

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Phreatomagmatic
   - - - -    - - - - Tephra

4390 BCE ± 100 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode El Hormigón
4390 BCE ± 100 years - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at El Hormigón

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Scoria

5230 BCE ± 200 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode TC tephra
5230 BCE ± 200 years - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at TC tephra

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lapilli
   - - - -    - - - - Blocks
   - - - -    - - - - Scoria

5350 BCE ± 200 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode NNT tephra
5350 BCE ± 200 years - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 6 Events for Episode 1 at NNT tephra

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Pyroclastic flow
   - - - -    - - - - Ash
   - - - -    - - - - Lapilli
   - - - -    - - - - Blocks
   - - - -    - - - - Scoria

7300 BCE ± 3150 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode PM3 tephra
7300 BCE ± 3150 years - Unknown Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at PM3 tephra

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Phreatomagmatic
   - - - -    - - - - Tephra

7430 BCE ± 300 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode Refinería crater
7430 BCE ± 300 years - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 6 Events for Episode 1 at Refinería crater

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Pyroclastic flow
   - - - -    - - - - Ash
   - - - -    - - - - Lapilli
   - - - -    - - - - Blocks
   - - - -    - - - - Scoria
Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Nejapa-Miraflores.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Nejapa-Miraflores.

Photo Gallery

The steep-walled crater Laguna de Asososca provides water for the adjacent capital city of Managua. The elongated 1.3 x 1 km wide lake lies north of Laguna de Nejapa along the Nejapa-Miraflores lineament and is viewed here from the SE. In the background, beyond a bay of Lake Managua (the light-colored body of water at the upper right-center), is the Chiltepe Peninsula. This Laguna de Asososca is not to be confused with another crater lake of the same name at the southern end of the N-S-trending Las Pilas volcanic complex.

Photo by Jaime Incer.
Laguna de Tiscapa is seen here from the SW with a skyscraper of downtown Managua in the right background. The 700-m-wide maar overlooks the central part of the city. Laguna de Tiscapa lies about 5 km east of the Nejapa-Miraflores crater lineament along a major fault that cuts through the city of Managua.

Photo by Jaime Incer.
Laguna de Nejapa (right center) and Cerro Motastepe (left-center horizon) are part of the N-S-trending Nejapa-Miraflores alignment. A series of pit craters and fissure vents extends into Lake Managua (barely visible at the far upper right) and is continuous with the volcanic vents on the Chiltepe Peninsula (far right horizon). The Nejapa-Miraflores alignment (also known as Nejapa-Ticoma) has been the site of about 40 eruptions during the past 30,000 years, the most recent of which (from Cerro Motastepe) occurred less than 2500 years ago.

Photo by Jaime Incer.
Laguna de Tiscapa partially fills a 700-m-wide maar on the outskirts of Managua, Nicaragua's capital city. The maar was constructed along a major fault that cuts through Managua. The rim of the crater overlooks the center of Managua and consequently has been the site of military fortifications dating back to the 18th century.

Photo by Jaime Incer, 1996.
The N-S-trending Nejapa-Miraflores alignment of cones cuts across the western outskirts of the city of Managua and extends across a bay of Lake Managua onto the Chiltepe Peninsula. Cerro San Carlos (center) lies along the southern side of the bay, while the conical peak of Volcán Chiltepe is visible at the upper left on the eastern tip of the Chiltepe Peninsula.

Photo by Paul Kimberly, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
Cerro Motastepe cinder cone (upper left) is the youngest and most prominent feature of the Nejapa-Miraflores volcanic alignment. The cone, seen here from the SE with Laguna de Nejapa in the center of the photo, is elongated in an E-W direction and rises 160 m above its base to 360 m elevation. Cerro Motastepe formed less than 2500 years ago. The surface of saline Laguna de Nejapa collapse pit (center) lies at about the same level as Lake Managua, barely visible in the distance at the upper right.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
A restaurant on the rim of Laguna de Tiscapa provides a scenic view of the a 700-m-wide maar on the outskirts of Managua, Nicaragua's capital city. The maar was constructed along a major fault that cuts through Managua. The crater overlooks the center of Managua and lies 5 km east of the N-S-trending Nejapa-Miraflores lineament, a 17-km-long chain of collapse pits and cinder-spatter cones that marks a point of right-lateral offset of the Nicaraguan volcanic chain.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1998 (Smithsonian Institution).
GVP Map Holdings

The maps shown below have been scanned from the GVP map archives and include the volcano on this page. Clicking on the small images will load the full 300 dpi map. Very small-scale maps (such as world maps) are not included. The maps database originated over 30 years ago, but was only recently updated and connected to our main database. We welcome users to tell us if they see incorrect information or other problems with the maps; please use the Contact GVP link at the bottom of the page to send us email.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Nejapa-Miraflores in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites