Based on observations of satellite imagery, the Washington VAAC reported that ash plumes from Fuego rose to an altitude of 5.2 km (17,000 ft) a.s.l. drifted SW on 21 December. Gas or ash plumes were seen on satellite imagery on 23 December and drifted W. According to CONRED, INSIVUMEH reported on 24 December that an ash plume drifted SW. CONRED reiterated that the Alert Level remained at Yellow.

Geological Summary. Volcán Fuego, one of Central America's most active volcanoes, is also one of three large stratovolcanoes overlooking Guatemala's former capital, Antigua. The scarp of an older edifice, Meseta, lies between Fuego and Acatenango to the north. Construction of Meseta dates back to about 230,000 years and continued until the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. Collapse of Meseta may have produced the massive Escuintla debris-avalanche deposit, which extends about 50 km onto the Pacific coastal plain. Growth of the modern Fuego volcano followed, continuing the southward migration of volcanism that began at the mostly andesitic Acatenango. Eruptions at Fuego have become more mafic with time, and most historical activity has produced basaltic rocks. Frequent vigorous historical eruptions have been recorded since the onset of the Spanish era in 1524, and have produced major ashfalls, along with occasional pyroclastic flows and lava flows.

Sources: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (CONRED)