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Santa Ana Volcano

Updated: Mar 28, 2024 09:52 GMT -
stratovolcano 2381 m / 7,812 ft
El Salvador, 13.85°N / -89.63°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Last update: 10 Dec 2021 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

Santa Ana (also known as Ilamatepec) volcano is a stratovolcano about 45 km west of San Salvador city. It is El Salvador's highest volcano and one of its most active.
The broad summit of Santa Ana has a beautiful array of concentric craters with crescent-shaped rims.
Historical activity were mainly small-to-moderate explosive eruptions from both summit and flank vents and has been documented since the 16th century. The San Marcelino cinder cone on the SE flank produced a lava flow in 1722 that traveled 13 km to the east.

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Typical eruption style: explosive
Santa Ana volcano eruptions: 2005, 1920, 1904, 1884, 1882(?), 1880, 1879, 1878(?), 1874, 1734, 1722, 1621(?), 1576, ?1570, 1524, 1521, 1520(?)

Latest nearby earthquakes

TimeMag. / DepthDistance / Location
Mar 21, 05:51 am (El Salvador)
Mar 21, 11:51 GMT
2.0

5 km
13 km (7.9 mi) to the NW 16 Km al norte de Ahuachapan, El Salvador Info
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 19, 02:22 pm (El Salvador)
Mar 19, 20:22 GMT
2.6

3 km
17 km (10.5 mi) to the W 7 Km al norte de Ahuachapan, El Salvador Info
Monday, March 18, 2024 GMT (2 quakes)
Mar 18, 03:23 pm (El Salvador)
Mar 18, 21:23 GMT
2.0

5 km
14 km (8.4 mi) to the W 11 Km al norte de Ahuachapan, El Salvador Info
Mar 18, 03:18 pm (El Salvador)
Mar 18, 21:18 GMT
2.8

5 km
14 km (8.6 mi) to the NW 11 Km al norte de Ahuachapan, El Salvador Info
Sunday, March 17, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 16, 09:05 pm (El Salvador)
Mar 17, 03:05 GMT
1.7

9 km
12 km (7.3 mi) to the W 13 Km Al Sureste De Ahuachapan, El Salvador Info

Background

Santa Ana is dominantly andesitic-to-trachyandesitic. It is located immediately west of Coatepeque caldera. Collapse of Santa Ana during the late Pleistocene produced a voluminous debris avalanche that swept into the Pacific Ocean, forming the Acajutla Peninsula.
Reconstruction of the volcano subsequently filled most of the collapse scarp. There are several parasitic vents and cones which have formed along a 20-km-long fissure system that extends from near the town of Chalchuapa NNW of the volcano to the San Marcelino and Cerro la Olla cinder cones on the SE flank.

Eruptions of Santa Ana volcano



2005 eruption
A sudden explosive eruption occurred at Santa Ana volcano at 08:20 local time on 1 October 2005. It produced a violent explosion of 1 hour, generating a 10 km high eruption column. 2 people were killed probably by a boiling lahar, and thousands evacuated. ...more info

Latest satellite images

SantaAna satellite image sat1SantaAna satellite image sat2
Wed, 29 Mar 2006, 06:00

Santa Ana volcano (El Salvador) - Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 29 March-4 April 2006 (Continuing Activity)

During 24-31 March, activity at Santa Ana decreased to low levels in comparison to the previous 4 months of moderate activity. During the report period, seismicity was at relatively low levels, steam plumes occasionally rose ~200 m above the volcano (or 8,400 ft a.s.l.), and the daily sulfur-dioxide flux was between 500 and 1,000 metric tons. The Alert Level remained at red, the highest level, within 5 km of the volcano's summit crater. ... Read all
Wed, 1 Mar 2006, 06:00

Santa Ana volcano (El Salvador) - Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 1 March-7 March 2006 (Continuing Activity)

During 24 February to 6 March, seismicity at Santa Ana was relatively stable, and the sulfur-dioxide flux was lower than during previous weeks. The level of water in the lagoon within the crater decreased significantly. The Alert Level at Santa Ana remained at Red, the highest level, within a 5-km radius around the volcano's summit crater. ... Read all

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