INSIVUMEH reported 37 weak to moderate explosions from Santa María's Santiaguito lava-dome complex on 4 January. The moderate explosions caused ashfall S and SE in the ranching areas of Monte Bello and Monte Claro. About 21 block-and-ash flows were also observed. On 5 January, explosions produced ash clouds that rose to 4.3-4.8 km (14,000-15,700 ft) a.s.l. Ashfall was noted from areas S and SE. The Washington VAAC reported that ash puffs were visible on satellite imagery during 7-8 January.

Geological Summary. 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 E 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.

Sources: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH)