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Report on Telica (Nicaragua) — 15 July-21 July 2020


Telica

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 15 July-21 July 2020
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2020. Report on Telica (Nicaragua) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 15 July-21 July 2020. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (15 July-21 July 2020)

Telica

Nicaragua

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

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


SINAPRED stated that at 1659 on 20 July small explosions at Telica produced a gas-and-ash plume that rose 200 m above the crater rim as reported by INETER. RSAM values increased from 57 to 153 units at the time of the explosions, and remained elevated at 144 units afterwards. SINAPRED recommended that the public stay at least 1.5 km away from the crater.

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: Sistema Nacional para la Prevención, Mitigación y Atención de Desastres (SINAPRED)