The Pedregal Volcano is a large
shield volcano
A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...
in
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
located near the city of
Comayagüela
Tegucigalpa (, , ), formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( es, Tegucigalpa, Municipio del Distrito Central or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz'', is the capital and largest city ...
west of
Tegucigalpa M.D.C.
Characteristics
El Pedregal originated during the
Quaternary period through
basaltic eruptions and is one of the most prominent volcanoes in the highlands of central Honduras. It is characterized by being of low angle although it has a huge diameter that has meant that over the centuries there have been human settlements in it. At the top is a huge 300 square meter pond known as "''Laguna el pedregal''", which was formed from the crater, which after centuries of rain filled with water and formed the pond. Isolated remains of flows of the El Pedregal lava flows and separate
vents are found in broad areas mainly to the west near Tegucigalpa.
However, despite its large diameter of the volcano, no activity of its kind has been recorded during the last millennia, possibly because it is extinct since the last eruption in the vicinity of what is today Tegucigalpa happened in the Pleistocene, meaning little risk for the areas surrounding it.
See also
*
Geography of Honduras
Honduras is a country in Central America. Honduras borders the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. Guatemala lies to the west, Nicaragua south east and El Salvador to the south west. Honduras is the second largest Central American republ ...
References
{{coord, 14.1040, -87.2737, format=dms, type:mountain_region:HN, display=title
Volcanoes of Honduras
Shield volcanoes of North America