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Report on San Miguel (El Salvador) — 8 March-14 March 2023


San Miguel

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 8 March-14 March 2023
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2023. Report on San Miguel (El Salvador) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 8 March-14 March 2023. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (8 March-14 March 2023)

San Miguel

El Salvador

13.434°N, 88.269°W; summit elev. 2130 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


MARN reported increased emissions at San Miguel during 7-9 March. Gas emissions began increasing along with seismicity at 2252 on 7 March and were continuous at least through the morning of 8 March. A total of 12 emissions were recorded, with the last one occurring at 1210 on 9 March. Some of the gas emissions contained ash, with the most intense period causing minor ashfall in El TrĂ¡nsito (10 km S), La Morita (6 km W), and La Piedrita (3 km W), and a sulfur odor in Piedra Azul (5 km SW).

Geological Summary. The symmetrical cone of San Miguel, one of the most active volcanoes in El Salvador, rises from near sea level to form one of the country's most prominent landmarks. A broad, deep, crater complex that has been frequently modified by eruptions recorded since the early 16th century caps the truncated unvegetated summit, also known locally as Chaparrastique. Flanks eruptions of the basaltic-andesitic volcano have produced many lava flows, including several during the 17th-19th centuries that extended to the N, NE, and SE. The SE-flank flows are the largest and form broad, sparsely vegetated lava fields crossed by highways and a railroad skirting the base of the volcano. Flank vent locations have migrated higher on the edifice during historical time, and the most recent activity has consisted of minor ash eruptions from the summit crater.

Source: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARN)