Acatenango (volcano)
| Acatenango | ||
|---|---|---|
 Hut in the ruins of a Spanish colonial building in Antigua , with the Volcán de Fuego (left) and Acatenango (right) in the background . |
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| height | 3976 m | |
| location | Guatemala | |
| Coordinates | 14 ° 30 ′ 1 ″ N , 90 ° 52 ′ 31 ″ W | |
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| Type | Stratovolcano | |
| Age of the rock | 200,000 years | |
| Last eruption | 1972 | |
The Acatenango is a stratovolcano in Guatemala near the city of Antigua with a height of 3,976 meters. It is one of the highest stratovolcanoes in Central America and, together with its twin, the Volcán de Fuego , forms the La Horqueta volcanic complex.
The volcano has two main craters. The construction of the northern crater, Yepocapa (3,880 m), ended about 20,000 years ago. The outbreak center then shifted south. The highest crater to date, Pico Central (or Pico Mayor) was formed.
The area around the Acatenango was already volcanically active over 200,000 years ago, with the eruption centers tapering from north to south. The mighty volcanic massif rises more than 3500 meters above the Pacific coast to the south and 2000 meters above the highlands of Guatemala in the north. The only eruptions observed in historical time occurred from 1924 to 1927 and in December 1972. These phreatic eruptions led to ash fall up to 25 kilometers away. In the past 80,000 years there have been numerous strong, explosive eruptions, including 5,000, 2,300 and 1,900 years ago. Francisco Vasquez reported in 1690 about "smoke development in 1661 from a volcano lying on the side of the Fuego". The volcano has the potential for huge debris avalanches, which pose a constant threat to over 100,000 people who live in the vicinity of the volcano. Deposits of such events can be found up to a distance of 50 kilometers around the volcano and cover around 300 square kilometers of land.
Web links
- Acatenango in the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution (English)