A steam plume rising from a geothermal site in Amatitlán caldera is seen here from the caldera rim of Pacaya, with Guatemala City in the background. Laguna Calderas contains the lake to the right and beyond the ridge to the left is part of Lake Amatitlán. The 14 x 16 km Amatitlán caldera produced a large number of major explosive eruptions that covered the current site of Guatemala City with pyroclastic flows during the late Pleistocene. The caldera retains a high heat flow that is being exploited for geothermal energy.

Photo by Paul Kimberly, 1999 (Smithsonian Institution).

This image is made available under the Public Domain Dedication CC0 license, but proper attribution is appreciated.

Keywords: geothermal | caldera

Pacaya