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News > Latin America

New Lava Flow Coming From Guatemala's Pacaya Volcano

  • The Pacaya volcano erupting in 1992.

    The Pacaya volcano erupting in 1992. | Photo: By Rolfcosar - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1598547

Published 8 July 2018
Opinion

The Strombolian Pacaya is one of the three active volcanos in Guatemala and is been rising is activity during the past few months.

A new eruption in Guatemala is reminding the local population of the dangers they  face, as a 400-meter long and 30 meter wide lava flow comes down from the Pacaya volcano as the country continues to deal with the tragic aftermath of the eruption of Fuego volcano last month.

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The volcano is of the Strombolian type, which means mild lava eruptions are frequent and normal. However, it has registered high levels of activity in the past months and a rise in recent days. Its new lava flow, coming from its active crater Mackenney, is running northeast towards the Cerro Chino.

Guatemala's National Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology Institute warned about the possibility of larger, more frequent flows coming from Pacaya.

David de Leon, spokesperson of the National Coordinator for Risk Control, said in a press conference there was “no increase in the activity” of the crater, but added it will be closely observed, while keeping nearby communities, such as El Rodeo and El Patrocinio, on alert.

The volcano is about 2,562 meters high and is located 40 kilometers sutheast of Guatemala City, in the San Vicente Pacaya municipality, Escuintla department. Its Mackenney crater has been active since 1961.

Guatemala has 32 volcanos out of which three -Pacaya, Santiaguito and Fuego- are in constant activity.

Its activity made nearby residents demand that the responsible authorities provide an update on the risks, as people are still on alert due to the recent activity of the Fuego volcano.

The Fuego registered one of the biggest eruptions in its history on June 3, leaving 113 death people and about 332 missing, besides almost 2 million affected and huge material losses. It sits about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of the capital, Guatemala City, near the picturesque colonial town of Antigua, a UNESCO world heritage site.

The 3,763-meter (12,346-feet) peak, whose name means fire in Spanish, is in constant activity, what made nearby residents and authorities not to take immediate action when it gave the first signs of a possible violent eruption, resulting in a social, fatal disaster.

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