Report on Fuego (Guatemala) — 20 August-26 August 2008
Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 20 August-26 August 2008
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2008. Report on Fuego (Guatemala) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 20 August-26 August 2008. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
Fuego
Guatemala
14.473°N, 90.88°W; summit elev. 3763 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
INSIVUMEH reported that on 20 August lahars descended several rivers to the S and SE of Fuego, carrying fine material as well as blocks up to 1 m in diameter. Strong currents in Río Cenizas and El Jute were noted. During 25-26 August, explosions produced ash plumes that rose to an altitude of 4.1 km (13,500 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SW. Fumarolic plumes rose to an altitude of 4 km (13,100 ft) a.s.l. and also drifted SW. A 300-m-long lava flow traveled W towards the Santa Teresa ravine.
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)