INSIVUMEH reported that during 4-11 May the lava flow on Pacaya’s N flank continued to advance, lengthening from 2.1 to 2.4 km, and spreading laterally in some areas. Incandescent blocks detached from the flow, especially along the flow margins and steep slopes. Occasional explosions at the vent (near Cerro Chino) ejected incandescent material as high as 100 m. Around 0600 on 6 May explosions at the summit produced ash plumes that drifted S. Dense ash plumes were visible drifting W and SW during 7-9 May. On 11 May an advancing lava flow on the SW flank was 2.3 km long.

Geological Summary. Eruptions from Pacaya are frequently visible from Guatemala City, the nation's capital. This complex basaltic volcano was constructed just outside the southern topographic rim of the 14 x 16 km Pleistocene Amatitlán caldera. A cluster of dacitic lava domes occupies the southern caldera floor. The post-caldera Pacaya massif includes the older Pacaya Viejo and Cerro Grande stratovolcanoes and the currently active Mackenney stratovolcano. Collapse of Pacaya Viejo between 600 and 1,500 years ago produced a debris-avalanche deposit that extends 25 km onto the Pacific coastal plain and left an arcuate scarp inside which the modern Pacaya volcano (Mackenney cone) grew. The NW-flank Cerro Chino crater was last active in the 19th century. During the past several decades, activity has consisted of frequent Strombolian eruptions with intermittent lava flow extrusion that has partially filled in the caldera moat and covered the flanks of Mackenney cone, punctuated by occasional larger explosive eruptions that partially destroy the summit.

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