Based on information from the Central American FIR, the Washington VAAC reported that on 14 January an ash plume from Fuego rose to an altitude of 4.9 km (16,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted WSW. On 19 and 20 January, INSIVUMEH reported that explosions produced ash plumes that rose to altitudes of 4.1-4.6 km (13,500-15,100 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 7 km NW, W, and SW. Some explosions produced rumbling sounds. Avalanches occurred on the S and SW flanks.

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), Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH)