INSIVUMEH reported that during 11-13 and on 16 January explosions from Fuego generated ash plumes that rose 400-1,000 m above the crater; the plumes drifted 10-15 km in multiple directions. Explosions generated shock waves and rumbling sounds that were detected to the SW, and windows and roofs vibrated in nearby villages. Avalanches traveled SW into the Ceniza drainage and on the W, S, and SW flanks. At night on 13 and 16 January incandescence emanated from the crater.

Geological Summary. Volcán Fuego, one of Central America's most active volcanoes, is also one of three large stratovolcanoes overlooking Guatemala's former capital, Antigua. The scarp of an older edifice, Meseta, lies between Fuego and Acatenango to the north. Construction of Meseta dates back to about 230,000 years and continued until the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. Collapse of Meseta may have produced the massive Escuintla debris-avalanche deposit, which extends about 50 km onto the Pacific coastal plain. Growth of the modern Fuego volcano followed, continuing the southward migration of volcanism that began at the mostly andesitic Acatenango. Eruptions at Fuego have become more mafic with time, and most historical activity has produced basaltic rocks. Frequent vigorous historical eruptions have been recorded since the onset of the Spanish era in 1524, and have produced major ashfalls, along with occasional pyroclastic flows and lava flows.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH)