Santa Ana Volcano

Santa Ana Volcano
Close up aerial view of the nested summit calderas and craters, along with the crater lake
Highest point
Elevation	2,381 m (7,812 ft)
Coordinates	13°51′11″N 89°37′48″W / 13.853°N 89.630°W / 13.853; -89.630Coordinates: 13°51′11″N 89°37′48″W / 13.853°N 89.630°W / 13.853; -89.630
Geography
Santa Ana Volcano Location in El Salvador
Location	El Salvador
Parent range	Cordillera de Apaneca
Geology
Mountain type	Stratovolcano
Last eruption	June to October 2005

The Santa Ana Volcano or Ilamatepec (Spanish: volcán de Santa Ana) is a large stratovolcano located in the Santa Ana department of El Salvador. At 2,381 metres above sea level, it is the highest volcano in the country. It is located immediately west of Coatepeque Caldera.

The volcano was the inspiration for one of the active volcanoes in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's famous French novella (The Little Prince), based on his life with his Salvadoran wife Consuelo de Saint Exupéry, who was The Rose in the story.

Geography

Santa Ana volcano with Izalco to the far left, Cerro Verde center and San marcelino vents in the foreground.

The summit of Santa Ana features four nested calderas and volcanic craters, with the innermost containing a small crater lake. Collapse of the summit during the late Pleistocene (inferring from underlying soil samples, the upper age limit is no more than 57 000 years ago) produced a massive debris avalanche that reached the Pacific Ocean, forming the Acajutla Peninsula. Subsequent eruptions have largely rebuilt the edifice.

There have been numerous historical eruptions since the 16th century, both at the summit and from cinder cones on the lower flanks, and also the flank vents of San Marcelino located east of Santa Ana. The San Marcelino vents erupted in 1722 and flowed eastwards for 11 km, destroying the village of San Juan Tecpan.

In October, 2005, the volcano erupted, killing at least two people, injuring seven people, forcing many people to flee their villages. The volcano spat rocks for over 1.5 km (0.93 mi) with rocks the size of cars. The eruption contributed to the damage from Hurricane Stan. The most recent previous eruption had been in 1904.

Climate

The climate on the northeast facing slope of the volcano sees substantial rainfall in the summer months. Located at 13.9 N, 89.6 W, altitude : 1770 m, the climate is classified as a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb).

See also

• List of volcanoes in El Salvador
• List of stratovolcanoes

References

Notes

Sources

• Global Volcanism Program: Santa Ana
• Sheets P D, 2004. Apocalypse then: social science approaches to volcanism, people, and cultures in the Zapotitan Valley, El Salvador. Rose W. I., Bommer J. J., Lopez D. L., Carr M. J., Major J. J. (eds), Natural Hazards in El Salvador. Bolder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Special Paper 375, pp 109–120.
• Siebert, L. Kimberly, P., and Pullinger, C.R, 2004, The voluminous Acajulta debris avalanche from Santa Ana Volcano, western El Salvador, and comparison with other Central American edifice-failure evens, in Rose, W.I. et al., Natural Hazards in El Salvador. Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Special Paper 375, pp 5–23.

External links

• BBC news article on recent eruption
• Nasa Earth Observatory article and image.

Central American volcanoes Guatemala Acatenango Agua Almolonga Atitlán Chicabal Cuilapa-Barbarena Fuego Jumay Moyuta Pacaya Santa María/Santiaguito San Pedro Santo Tomás Siete Orejas Tacaná Tajumulco Tecuamburro Tolimán El Salvador Santa Ana Izalco San Salvador San Vicente Usulután San Miguel Conchagua Chingo Chinameca Nicaragua Cosigüina San Cristóbal Telica Cerro Negro Momotombo Apoyeque Masaya Mombacho Concepción Maderas Costa Rica Rincón de la Vieja Miravalles Arenal Platanar Poás Irazú Turrialba Panama Barú La Yeguada El Valle Note: volcanoes are ordered from north-west to south-east.