San Miguel (also known as Volcán Chaparrastique) 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 ...
in central-eastern
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 ...
, approximately southwest of the city of
San Miguel. On January 16, 2002, a minor eruption of steam, gas, and ash occurred from the
summit crater
A volcanic crater is an approximately circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a bowl-shaped feature containing one or more vents. During volcanic eruptions, molten magma and volcanic gases rise from an unde ...
,
lasting 3 hours but causing no real damage to life or property.
Carbon dioxide emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...
had been monitored since November 2001, and their steady increase continued to build up until the eruption.
Eleven years later,
on December 29, 2013, San Miguel erupted at 10:30 local time spewing ash and smoke into the sky, and prompted the evacuation of thousands of people living in a 3 km (1.9 mi) radius around the volcano.
[San Miguel volcano (El Salvador): new eruption](_blank)
''Volcano Discovery''. Retrieved 30 December 2013. It was preceded and caused by increased
seismic activity
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
beginning at 06:30 local time.
See also
*
List of volcanoes in El Salvador
This is a list of active and extinct volcanoes in El Salvador.
Volcanoes
See also
* Central America Volcanic Arc
* List of volcanoes in Guatemala
* List of volcanoes in Honduras
* List of volcanoes in Nicaragua
References
{{Centr ...
*
List of stratovolcanoes
A list of stratovolcanoes follows below.
Africa
Cameroon
* Mount Cameroon
Democratic Republic of Congo
* Mount Nyiragongo, Goma; designated as a Decade Volcano
** It contains an active lava lake inside its crater which overflowed due t ...
Gallery
Volcanoes near Usulután, El Salvador.jpg, Usulután
Usulután () is the fifth largest city in El Salvador, and capital of the Usulután Department in the south-east of El Salvador.
As of 2006, it is estimated to have population of 71,636 people. Usulután rests in a rich agricultural valley and ...
, El Tigre, Chinameca & San Miguel volcanoes imaged from space.
Fumarola 4 ó 5 minutos después de iniciado la erupción del 29 de diciembre de 2013. Desde San Rafael Oriente, San Miguel..JPG, The eruption column
An eruption column or eruption plume is a cloud of super-heated ash and tephra suspended in gases emitted during an explosive volcanic eruption. The volcanic materials form a vertical column or plume that may rise many kilometers into the air a ...
on December 29, 2013
References
External links
*
Mountains of El Salvador
Stratovolcanoes of El Salvador
Active volcanoes
Protected areas of El Salvador
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