Agua (Guatemala)

Status Normal Eruption Unknown 3760m
Stratovolcano (Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km))

Agua

The symmetrical, forested Volcán de Agua stratovolcano forms an impressive backdrop to the historic former capital city of Antigua, Guatemala, opposite the twin volcanoes of Fuego and Acatenango. The 3760-m-high basaltic-andesite to andesite edifice has an isolated position that makes it a prominent landmark from all directions. A small, 280-m-wide circular crater is breached on the NNE side, six small pit craters are located on the NW flank, and two small cones lie on the south flank. Agua's symmetrical profile implies a relatively young age, although currently no dated Holocene tephra deposits are known. Agua has had no historical eruptions, but its name (the water volcano) originates from a devastating mudflow on 11 September 1541. The mudflow destroyed the first Guatemalan capital city established by the Spanish Conquistadors, which is now known as Ciudad Vieja. The catastrophe prompted the establishment of a new capital city at nearby Antigua.

Symmetrical Volcán de Agua, seen here in an aerial view from the SE, is the easternmost of a chain of 3000-m-high conical stratovolcanoes rising above the Pacific coastal plain. The town of Palín at the lower right lies along the highway between Guatemala City (just out of view to the right) and Escuintla. No historical eruptions are known from Agua, which has the distinction of a soccer field in its small summit crater.

Copyrighted photo by Stephen O'Meara, 1994.

Last updated 2019-08-04 00:28:03

View Agua Via Satellite

Camera

Latest activity