Report on San Cristobal (Nicaragua) — 8 March-14 March 2006
Smithsonian / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report,
8 March-14 March 2006
Managing Editor: Sally Kuhn Sennert
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2006. Report on San Cristobal (Nicaragua). In: Sennert, S K (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 8 March-14 March 2006. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
San Cristobal
Nicaragua
12.702°N, 87.004°W; summit elev. 1745 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
According to a news report, explosions on 6 March at San Cristóbal produced columns of ash and gas that rose above the volcano. The height of the plumes was not reported. The activity ceased by 8 March and there were no evacuations.
Geological Summary. The San Cristóbal volcanic complex, consisting of five principal volcanic edifices, forms the NW end of the Marrabios Range. The symmetrical 1745-m-high youngest cone, named San Cristóbal (also known as El Viejo), is Nicaragua's highest volcano and is capped by a 500 x 600 m wide crater. El Chonco, with several flank lava domes, is located 4 km W of San Cristóbal; it and the eroded Moyotepe volcano, 4 km NE of San Cristóbal, are of Pleistocene age. Volcán Casita, containing an elongated summit crater, lies immediately east of San Cristóbal and was the site of a catastrophic landslide and lahar in 1998. The Plio-Pleistocene La Pelona caldera is located at the eastern end of the complex. Historical eruptions from San Cristóbal, consisting of small-to-moderate explosive activity, have been reported since the 16th century. Some other 16th-century eruptions attributed to Casita volcano are uncertain and may pertain to other Marrabios Range volcanoes.
Source: Associated Press