Santiaguito Developments

 

The extrusive-explosive eruption of the volcano continues at high levels.

A visible night-time glow and near-constant emissions of gas and water vapor (so-called degassing) indicate the continuing rise of fresh viscous magma accumulating into the Caliente lava dome. Pilling lava material makes the dome partially prone to collapse, which in turn develop into rolling hot weak-to-moderate avalanches in the S direction and incandescent dome blocks in the W-SW direction along a steep ravine.

The explosive activity is characterized by near-constant weak-to-moderate vulcanian-sized eruptions at roughly regular intervals of about 1 to 2 per day. Viscous, but gas-poor magma squeezes through the main conduit in search for the fastest way up to the surface and is being fragmented into grey ash-rich eruption plumes, reaching an average height of about 14,000 ft-15,000 ft (4,3 km-4,6 km).

People are advised to avoid the sticky lava flow due to the strong heat which may cause burns and other serious injuries. The current hazards are also hot avalanches that can become mobilized into hot glowing currents (pyroclastic flows).

Source: Instituto Nacional de Sismología, Vulcanología, Meteorología e Hidrología volcano activity update 30 March 2023