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Report on Telica (Nicaragua) — 11 May-17 May 2011


Telica

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 11 May-17 May 2011
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2011. Report on Telica (Nicaragua) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 11 May-17 May 2011. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (11 May-17 May 2011)

Telica

Nicaragua

12.606°N, 86.84°W; summit elev. 1036 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


Based on reports from INETER, the Washington VAAC stated that emissions of gas-and-ash from Telica were detected on 15 May, and ash fell in areas 4 km N. Seismicity was elevated for a period of time.

Geological Summary. Telica, one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes, has erupted frequently since the beginning of the Spanish era. This volcano group consists of several interlocking cones and vents with a general NW alignment. Sixteenth-century eruptions were reported at symmetrical Santa Clara volcano at the SW end of the group. However, its eroded and breached crater has been covered by forests throughout historical time, and these eruptions may have originated from Telica, whose upper slopes in contrast are unvegetated. The steep-sided cone of Telica is truncated by a 700-m-wide double crater; the southern crater, the source of recent eruptions, is 120 m deep. El Liston, immediately E, has several nested craters. The fumaroles and boiling mudpots of Hervideros de San Jacinto, SE of Telica, form a prominent geothermal area frequented by tourists, and geothermal exploration has occurred nearby.

Source: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)