Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Moyuta.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Moyuta.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Moyuta.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Bonete, Cerro el

Stratovolcano

1390 m

14° 3' 0" N

90° 0' 0" W

Buena Vista, Cerro

Pyroclastic cone

1380 m

14° 3' 0" N

90° 5' 0" W

Gigante, Cerro

Pyroclastic cone

919 m

14° 0' 0" N

89° 59' 0" W

Gordo, Cerro

Pyroclastic cone

700 m

13° 58' 0" N

90° 7' 0" W

Hilas, Cerro de las

Pyroclastic cone

880 m

14° 0' 0" N

90° 4' 0" W

Jute, Cerro del

Pyroclastic cone

680 m

13° 58' 0" N

90° 3' 0" W

Margaritas, Volcancito

Pyroclastic cone

520 m

14° 4' 0" N

90° 12' 0" W

Myriam, Volcán

Stratovolcano

1440 m

14° 0' 0" N

90° 7' 0" W

San Rafael, Cerro

Pyroclastic cone

1052 m

14° 4' 0" N

90° 1' 0" W

Tecolote, Cerro

Pyroclastic cone

845 m

14° 2' 0" N

89° 59' 0" W

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Conguaco, Cerro

Crater

14° 3' 0" N

90° 1' 0" W

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

342130

Unknown - Evidence Credible

1,662 m / 5,453 ft

14.03°N
90.1°W

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Composite

Volcano Types
Stratovolcano
Lava dome(s)
Pyroclastic cone(s)

Rock Types

Major
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite

Minor
Dacite
Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zone
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

3,457
15,469
394,687
7,064,437

Geological Summary

Moyuta is the easternmost of a chain of large stratovolcanoes extending along the volcanic front of Guatemala. Like Tecuamburro volcano, it is offset about 20 km S of the main volcanic chain and lies south of the Jalpatagua Fault, overlying the southern boundary of the Jalpatagua Graben. The volcano is capped by a cluster of at least three forested, steep-sided, coalescing andesitic lava domes that from some distant perspectives give the summit a flat-topped appearance. Numerous cinder cones in various stages of erosion are located on the flanks of the complex. The age of the latest eruption is not known, although the summit domes were considered to have been emplaced in relatively recent times (Williams et al., 1964). Small fumaroles are found on the N and S flanks, and hot springs are located near Azulco at the NE base and along rivers on the SE side.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Cameron B I, Walker J A, Carr M J, Patino L C, Matias O, Feigenson M D, 2003. Flux versus decompression melting at stratovolcanoes in southeastern Guatemala. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 119: 21-50.

Carr M J, 1984. Symmetrical and segmented variation of physical and geochemical characterisitics of the Central American volcanic front. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 20: 231-252. https://doi.org/10.1016/0377-0273(84)90041-6

Goff F, Janik C J, Fahlquist L S, Adams A, Roldan A, Revolorio M, Trujillo P E, Counce D, 1991. A reevaluation of the Moyuta geothermal system, southern Guatemala. Bull Geotherm Resour Council, 20: 290-298.

IAVCEI, 1973-80. Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World. IAVCEI Data Sheets, Rome: Internatl Assoc Volc Chemistry Earth's Interior.

Stoiber R E, Carr M J, 1973. Quaternary volcanic and tectonic segmentation of Central America. Bull Volcanol, 37: 304-325.

Williams H, McBirney A R, Dengo G, 1964. Geologic reconnaissance of southeastern Guatemala. Univ Calif Pub Geol Sci, 50: 1-62.

Eruptive History

The Global Volcanism Program is not aware of any Holocene eruptions from Moyuta. If this volcano has had large eruptions (VEI >= 4) prior to 12,000 years ago, information might be found on the Moyuta page in the LaMEVE (Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions) database, a part of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Moyuta.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Moyuta.

Photo Gallery

The highest peak in this view is Moyuta and is one of the easternmost of a chain of volcanoes extending across Guatemala. Its flat-topped summit is formed by a cluster of lava domes. The volcano lies south of the NW-SE-trending Jalpatagua Fault and overtops the southern margin of the Jalpatagua Graben.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1988 (Smithsonian Institution).

This view from the south shows a forested lava dome, one of a cluster of at least three coalescing domes that form the summit of Moyuta. The town of Moyuta, the outskirts of which are seen in the center of the photo, is located high on the volcano immediately adjacent to the summit dome complex.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1988 (Smithsonian Institution).

Moyuta rises above farmlands on the Pacific coastal plain of Guatemala. The forested volcano is extensively eroded and is mostly Pliocene and Pleistocene, but has a cluster of relatively young andesite to dacite lava domes at its summit. North-trending faults across the summit area form step-like ridges. Fumaroles, acid springs, and bicarbonate-rich hot springs are located on the northern and southern flanks.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1988 (Smithsonian Institution).

Moyuta is the easternmost of a chain of large volcanoes extending along the volcanic front of Guatemala. The summit contains a cluster of forested lava domes. It is viewed here from a small lake to its SW at the edge of the Pacific coastal plain.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1988 (Smithsonian Institution).

The large forested area at the middle right is the 1662-m-high Moyuta volcanic complex, its summit composed of a series of overlapping andesitic lava domes. The small white-colored area above and to the right of the dome complex is the city of Moyuta, which lies at an altitude of nearly 1300 m. Moyuta is the easternmost of the chain of large stratovolcanoes stretching across the Guatemalan Highlands.

NASA Landsat image, 2000 (courtesy of Loren Siebert, University of Akron).

GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Moyuta in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Moyuta. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Moyuta. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Moyuta

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).