Report on San Miguel (El Salvador) — 15 July-21 July 2009
Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 15 July-21 July 2009
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2009. Report on San Miguel (El Salvador) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 15 July-21 July 2009. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
San Miguel
El Salvador
13.434°N, 88.269°W; summit elev. 2130 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
On 20 July, Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (SNET) reported that the amplitude of seismic events from San Miguel had decreased to normal or background levels. Access to areas within a 2-km-radius continued to be restricted.
Geological Summary. The symmetrical cone of San Miguel, one of the most active volcanoes in El Salvador, rises from near sea level to form one of the country's most prominent landmarks. A broad, deep, crater complex that has been frequently modified by eruptions recorded since the early 16th century caps the truncated unvegetated summit, also known locally as Chaparrastique. Flanks eruptions of the basaltic-andesitic volcano have produced many lava flows, including several during the 17th-19th centuries that extended to the N, NE, and SE. The SE-flank flows are the largest and form broad, sparsely vegetated lava fields crossed by highways and a railroad skirting the base of the volcano. Flank vent locations have migrated higher on the edifice during historical time, and the most recent activity has consisted of minor ash eruptions from the summit crater.
