SNET reported that during 8-10 January activity at San Miguel was low. The number of seismic events fluctuated but remained at low levels, sometimes lower than values recorded before the eruption on 29 December 2013. Gas emissions were also low and characterized by light gray plumes that rose 100-150 m above the crater and drifted S. RSAM values and sulfur dioxide emissions increased for a period of time during 11-12 January, but decreased again to low levels.

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.

Source: Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (SNET)