Volcano Journal Entry

Guatemala Eruptions Continue (October 1, 2004)

Both the Fuego and Santa Maria volcanoes in Guatemala continued erupting this week. Fuego shot out hot, glowing lava bombs while a cloud of ash shot into the sky. An avalanche of volcanic material tumbled down its slopes.

To the north, lava avalanches also moved down the slopes of Santa Maria after several explosions from an active lava dome.

Fuego towers above Guatemala's former capital Antigua. The volcano has erupted many times since 1524. In 1541, a mudslide caused by an eruption buried Antigua. Fuego's last major eruption was in 1974 when spectacular pyroclastic flows were seen. A smaller eruption in 1999 forced the evacuation of several nearby villages.

Santa Maria's eruption in 1902 was one of the biggest explosions of the 20th century. The blast opened a huge crater on the mountain's side. About twenty years later, a lava dome began forming in the crater. Since then, the dome has been the site of occasional pyroclastic flows. Sometimes, debris flowing into nearby rivers has triggered floods and mudflows as well. The city of Quezaltenango, home to more than 90,000 people, lies at the edge of the volcano. The city's residents keep a watchful eye on the volcano. In 1929, the growing lava dome collapsed and spilled tons of fiery volcanic debris on the city and killed 5,000 people.

Fuego and Santa Maria are two of Central America's most active volcanoes. They form part of the arc of volcanoes stretching across the region where the Cocos plate dives beneath the Caribbean plate. The volcanoes are included in the Ring of Fire, the circle of volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean.