| Lake Ilopango | |
|---|---|
Lake Ilopango seen from Santiago Texacuangos. |
|
| Elevation | 450 m (1,476 ft) |
| Location | |
| Location | El Salvador |
| Geology | |
| Type | Caldera |
| Last eruption | 1880 |
| Lake Ilopango | |
|---|---|
| Location | Central El Salvador |
| Lake type | crater lake |
| Basin countries | El Salvador |
| Max. length | 11 km (6.8 mi) |
| Max. width | 8 km (5.0 mi) |
| Surface area | 72 km2 (28 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 440 m (1,440 ft) |
| Islands | Islas Quemadas |
Lake Ilopango is a crater lake which fills a scenic 8 x 11 km (72 km2 or 28 sq mi) volcanic caldera in central El Salvador. The caldera, which contains the second largest lake in the country and is located immediately east of the capital city, San Salvador, has a scalloped 100 m (330 ft) to 500 m (1,600 ft) high rim[1].
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Four major dacitic - rhyolitic eruptions occurred during the late Pleistocene and Holocene, producing pyroclastic flows and tephra that blanketed much of the country.[1]
The caldera collapsed most recently[1] during a cataclysmic eruption in the 5th century AD.[2] which produced widespread pyroclastic flows and devastated Mayan cities
This eruption produced about 25 km3 (6.0 cu mi) of tephra (20 times as much as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens), thus rating a 6 on the (VEI) Volcanic Explosivity Index. One of the most prominent tourist destinations is a town called Apulo, which was one of the towns affected by the 2009 floods and mudslides caused by Hurricane Ida.
Later eruptions formed several lava domes within the lake and near its shore. The only historical eruption, which occurred from December 31, 1879, up to March 26, 1880, produced a lava dome and had a VEI of 3.[1] The lava dome reached the surface of the lake, forming the islets known as Islas Quemadas.[3]