Santiaguito volcano (Guatemala): strong degassing, eruptions continue and blocks detach from lava dome

Gas-steam-rich emissions from the Caliente lava dome have continued over the past few days at Santiaguito volcano (image: CONRED)

The extrusive-explosive eruption of the volcano continues.

A visible night-time glow and abundant near-constant emissions of gas and water vapor (so-called degassing), rising 600 meters above the crater in the SW direction, indicate the continuing rise of fresh viscous magma accumulating into the Caliente lava dome. Pilling lava material makes the dome partially prone to collapse, which in turn develop into rolling hot weak-to-moderate avalanches in the S direction and incandescent dome blocks in the W-SW direction along a steep ravine.

The explosive activity is characterized by near-constant weak-to-moderate vulcanian-sized eruptions. Viscous, but gas-poor magma squeezes through the main conduit in search for the fastest way up to the surface and is being fragmented into grey ash-rich eruption plumes, reaching an average height of about 10,800 ft (3,3 km).

People are advised to avoid the sticky lava flow due to the strong heat which may cause burns and other serious injuries. The current hazards are also hot avalanches that can become mobilized into hot glowing currents (pyroclastic flows).

Source: Instituto Nacional de Sismología, Vulcanología, Meteorología e Hidrología volcano activity update 5 October 2023