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Malpaisillo

Photo of this volcano
  • Nicaragua
  • Pyroclastic shield
  • Pleistocene
  •  
  • Country
  • Primary Volcano Type
  • Last Known Eruption
  •  
  • 12.58°N
  • 86.6°W

  • 181 m
    594 ft

  • 344801
  • Latitude
  • Longitude

  • Summit
    Elevation

  • Volcano
    Number

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports for Malpaisillo.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Malpaisillo.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Malpaisillo.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Eruptive History

The Global Volcanism Program is not aware of any Holocene eruptions from Malpaisillo. If this volcano has had large eruptions (VEI >= 4) prior to 10,000 years ago, information might be found on the Malpaisillo page in the LaMEVE (Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions) database, a part of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Malpaisillo.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Malpaisillo.

Photo Gallery

Las Pilas volcano is seen here in an aerial view from the south, with the dramatic El Hoyo pit crater below the summit at the left center. The arcuate ridge at the right beyond Las Pilas is the NE rim of a large crater cutting the older Cerro el Picacho volcano. The flat area in the background beyond Cerro el Picacho on the floor of the Nicaraguan depression is the Malpaisillo pyroclastic shield volcano.

Photo by Jaime Incer, 1981.
The flat light-colored area at the top of the photo beyond Las Pilas volcano in the foreground is the Malpaisillo caldera. This large but topographically indistinct pyroclastic shield volcano lies in the Nicaraguan depression NE of Las Pilas volcano and NNW of Momotombo volcano. Formation of the 10-km-wide Malpaisillo caldera produced extensively dissected dacitic airfall and ignimbrite deposits that extend across the graben east of the Marrabios Range and reach into Lake Managua to the SE.

Photo by Jaime Incer, 1995.
The flat-lying floor of the topographically indistinct 10-km-wide Malpaisillo pyroclastic shield volcano lies in the center of this radar image of the Nicaraguan depression. The Malpaisillo road crosses the image diagonally from the SW to the NE, and the town of Malpaisillo is outlined in black below the road at the left-center. Extensively dissected dacitic airfall and ignimbrite deposits are seen north of the 10-km-wide caldera, and lava flows from Las Pilas complex at the lower left lie SW of the caldera.

Radar image, 1971 (courtesy of Jaime Incer).
GVP Map Holdings

The maps shown below have been scanned from the GVP map archives and include the volcano on this page. Clicking on the small images will load the full 300 dpi map. Very small-scale maps (such as world maps) are not included. The maps database originated over 30 years ago, but was only recently updated and connected to our main database. We welcome users to tell us if they see incorrect information or other problems with the maps; please use the Contact GVP link at the bottom of the page to send us email.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Malpaisillo in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites