Volcán San Cristóbal is the highest volcano in Nicaragua at 1,745 m (5,725 ft). Near the northwest corner of the country, close to the border with Honduras, it forms a backdrop to the city of Chichigalpa, Chinandega. It is also among the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua.
San Cristóbal is part of a 5-member volcanic complex that bears the same name. Chonco is 4 km to the west, and Moyotepe 4 km to the north east. Joined to the volcano's eastern flank is Volcán Casitas, which buried a village with a catastrophic landslide in 1998. The scars from that landslide are still visible today. Finally, La Pelona is on the east end of the complex.[1]
Physical features
San Cristóbal is the youngest volcano in its complex. It is a nearly symmetrical stratovolcano, rising in a distinctive cone shape. The SW slope is the longest, and the crater rim on that side rises 140 m above the NE end due to prevailing trade winds that distribute tephra to the SW.[1]
The crater is 500 × 600 m in size. While the volcano was at one point covered in tropical forests, the large quantities of gas and smoke that it emits constantly have killed off much of the vegetation.[2]
Eruptive history
1635: Erupted strongly enough to merit preservation in historical accounts.
August 1919: Produced loud noises and light tremors that were felt in surrounding areas.
May 1971: Produced bangs and explosions.
March 1976: Produced a high, continuous column of smoke, several light tremors, and explosions that occurred every three minutes.
c. December 1986: Marked expulsion of gases
c. January 1987: Expelled large quantities of gas.
May 1994: Entered into a new eruptive period, expelling gases, ash, and sand, and also producing light tremors.
July 2008: Rumbled with a series of small explosions, and expelled gas.
September 2009: Explosion and moderate ash expulsion.
September 2012: Three big explosions, expelled gas, ash and sand to 5,000 metres, following the 2012 Costa Rica earthquake.[3]
December 25, 2012 and continuing into 2013: elevated seismic activity and multiple eruptions over the next few days.[4][5]
April 11, 2014: Gas plume that may contain ash drifted West about 20 km.
July 20, 2014: Two explosions that occurred at 1:30 P.M. and 2:13 P.M. local time produced small plumes of ash that rose 100 meters.
March 9, 2021: Moderate ash expulsion, impacting the town of Chinandega.[6]
Current activity
San Cristóbal remains quite active, continuously expelling copious amounts of gas and smoke. As recent as September 2009, it was reported that ash was falling in nearby towns.[7] In September 2012 it erupted again, spewing ash up to four kilometres (2.5 miles) into the atmosphere, resulting in the evacuation of around 3000 people in the surrounding area.[8]
A further eruption took place, starting on December 25, 2012, and continuing into 2013, causing the evacuation of hundreds of locals.[9]
On Wednesday, March 10, 2021, the volcano had an eruption and sent ash about 10,000 feet into the air and blanketed several towns in ash.[10]
On July 5, 2023, an eruption sent ash about 2km into the airPyroclastic flows were seen near the summit.[11]
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