Las Pilas (or El Hoyo) is a

complex volcano A complex volcano, also called a compound volcano or a volcanic complex, is a mixed landform consisting of related volcanic centers and their associated lava flows and pyroclastic rock. They may form due to changes in eruptive habit or in t ...

located in the western part of

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

. Part of a 30-km-long volcanic

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

, Las Pilas has a series of well-preserved flank vents surrounding a central cone. Las Pilas last erupted in the 1950s and before that possibly in the 16th century. An aerial image of the volcano appeared in the August 1944 issue of National Geographic Magazine (p. 180). On the slope near the peak, a curious circular 100-m diameter sinkhole visible in the 1944 photo is still present in 2020.

References

Mountains of Nicaragua Volcanoes of Nicaragua Active volcanoes León Department {{Nicaragua-geo-stub

See also

References