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- San Cristóbal
San Cristobal is an active and the highest stratovolcano in Nicaragua. When the Spanish first observed it in 1528, it was sending smoke during the day and flames at night. It contains a 500 x 600m wide crater with several lava domes. The volcano buried a village during a catastrophic landslide in 1998.
Location: | Chinandega Department, Nicaragua |
Coordinates: | 12.705901, -87.001442 |
Volcano Type: | Stratovolcano |
San Cristobal’s location
12.705901, -87.001442
San Cristobal Latest Status:
April 2023: San Cristobal is currently dormant.
San Cristóbal’s Eruptive History
1990-1999 | Vigorous fumarolic activity and multiple gas plumes. An eruptive phase occurred in 1997 after strong seismicity. |
2000-2010 | Intermittent (minor) ash eruptions, some of which produced lahars. |
2012 | Ongoing ash eruptions with ash fall in neighboring towns. Incandescent material ejected prompting the evacuation of 2000 people. |
2014-2015 | Intermittent (minor) ash eruptions continue. |
2017 | Seismicity increased in 2017 |
2018 | Moderate eruption in April. |
2019 | Two ash advisories issued with ash plumes rising to 2,400m. A further smaller eruption occurred in March. |
2022 | A moderate explosion at San Cristóbal produced a plume that rose 1.5 km above the crater. |
San Cristóbal’s Monitoring
For monitoring of this volcano, please refer to INETER
Images of San Cristóbal
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