| El Chichón | |
|---|---|
Aerial view on 1982-11-04, seven months after the eruption |
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| Elevation | ~ 1,205 metres (3,953 ft) |
| Location | |
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El Chichón
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| Geology | |
| Type | Lava domes |
| Age of rock | 220,000 yr |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Chiapanecan Volcanic Arc |
| Last eruption | 1982 |
El Chichón, also known as El Chichonal (roughly translated in English as "The bump") is an active volcano in Francisco León Municipality in northwestern Chiapas, Mexico. Its only recorded eruptive activity was on March 29, April 3 and April 4, 1982 [1], when it produced a one km-wide caldera that then filled with an acidic crater lake. The eruption killed around 2,000 people who lived near the volcano.[2] It had high-sulfur anhydrite-bearing magma, explosive eruptions, pyroclastic flows, and surges that were devastating.
In 2000, the lake's water temperature increased. Also, the lake acquired a blue-green color, due to massive amounts of dissolved minerals in the acidic water, and fine, light-colored ashy sediment continually stirred up by boiling areas.
El Chichon is part of a geologic zone known as the Chiapanecan Volcanic Arc. This volcanic region is thought to be the result of the subduction of the Tehuantepec Ridge, an undersea ridge which lies on the Cocos Plate off the Pacific coast of Mexico.[3]
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