According to SNET, the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARN) reported on 19 May that activity at San Miguel had increased significantly in the previous few days. The activity was characterized by an increase in the frequency and magnitude of gas emissions, rumbling in the crater, and small explosions followed by juvenile ashfall. On 18 May between 2230 and 2300 less than 1 mm of ash fell to the WNW in San Jorge. On 19 May the webcam recorded periodic pulses of gray gas plumes that rose 300 m and drifted W. On 20 May seismicity remained high and gray emissions rose 300 m.

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)