Volcán Chingo is a

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...

on the

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

between

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

and

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

. The largest point on the Guatemala/ El Salvador border is Volcán Chingo at 5,823 feet. It is also known to be the second highest of a group of volcanoes in the SE Guatemala region. The population of people living within 30 km of the Volcán Chingo is estimated to be around 867,678 people. There are no historical eruptions documented for this volcano but it is currently active. The exact volcano number when trying to locate it in the Smithsonian website is 342170.

Geology

This symmetrical stratovolcano has many different features that make it stand out to be the highest point on the

between

and

. There is a small, oval shaped crater on the summit that is breached towards the west side of the volcano. Different flank fissures have fed many youthful lava flows that can be found West and North of the volcano. There is a light brown hill located below the volcano on the right center side that is known as Cerro Laguneta. The different rock types that can be found are Andesite/ Basaltic Andesite and Basalt/ Picro-Basalt.

Cerro la Olla, a youthful cone, is located on the South side of the volcano across the Salvadorian border. A cinder cone that caps the basalt shield, Volcan las Viboras, lies to the North and is the most prominent of several controlled cones in the area.

Ecosystem

Sobralia amabilis ''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for Dr ...

'' is an elusive flower located in the

region. The ''Sobralia amabilis'' of "

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

" was registered near the top of Volcán Chingo and was the only recorded sighting in local

. Based on the findings of the ''Sobralia amabilis'' on the Volcán Chingo, ecologists speculate there could be other populations in the area. The valley underneath the Volcano chingo is home to nutrient rich soil perfect to grow coffee beans. Peregrine Roasters grows coffee beans in the shade under ''

Inga edulis ''Inga edulis'', known as ice-cream bean, ice-cream-bean, joaquiniquil, cuaniquil, guama or guaba, is a fruit native to South America. It is in the Mimosoideae, mimosoid tribe of the legume family Fabaceae. It is widely grown, especially by Indi ...

'' trees at the base of the volcano. "Volcán Chingo", the name of the coffee, was farmed in the Jutiapa Region of Guatemala on the Marcelita Estate.

References

Mountains of Guatemala

Volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

Mountains of El Salvador Stratovolcanoes of El Salvador International mountains of North America Stratovolcanoes of Guatemala El Salvador–Guatemala border {{NorthAm-protected-area-stub

Geology

Ecosystem

See also

References