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Report on San Cristobal (Nicaragua) — 5 June-11 June 2024


San Cristobal

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 5 June-11 June 2024
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2024. Report on San Cristobal (Nicaragua) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 5 June-11 June 2024. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (5 June-11 June 2024)

San Cristobal

Nicaragua

12.702°N, 87.004°W; summit elev. 1745 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


The Washington VAAC reported that ash plumes from San Cristóbal were visible in webcam images at around 1500 and 1700 on 7 June rising above the summit and drifting N. The plumes were not identified in satellite images due to weather conditions. According to a news report the ash plume rose 1 km above the summit.

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.

Sources: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Centinela35