Moderately strong eruption at Telica volcano, Nicaragua

A moderately strong explosion took place at Nicaraguan Telica volcano at 13:08 UTC (07:08 local time) on June 21, 2018. The last eruptive phase of this volcano started on September 23, 2015, and ended May 11, 2016. It had Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2.

The volcano ejected a plume of gas and ash, sand and some rock up to 500 m (1 640 feet) from the crater. The column drifted to the east, south and southwest. 

INETER said fragments of ejected rock fell near the crater while the sandy material reached distances of up to 1 km (0.6 miles).

The volcano is now emitting gasses, but they do not represent a danger for the population.

The agency said that new explosions are likely to occur during the day.

Ashfall was reported in the communities of Los Manglares, Las Marías, Pozo Viejo, El Porvenir and Monte de Los Olivos.

This activity represents the normal activity of an active volcano such as Telica and, at the moment, this type of activity does not present a danger to the population, INETER said.

Geological summary

Telica, one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes, has erupted frequently since the beginning of the Spanish era. This volcano group consists of several interlocking cones and vents with a general NW alignment. 

Sixteenth-century eruptions were reported at symmetrical Santa Clara volcano at the SW end of the group. However, its eroded and breached crater has been covered by forests throughout historical time, and these eruptions may have originated from Telica, whose upper slopes in contrast are unvegetated.

The steep-sided cone of 1061-m-high (3 480 feet) Telica is truncated by a 700-m-wide (2 296 feet) double crater; the southern crater, the source of recent eruptions, is 120 m (393 feet) deep. El Liston, immediately SE of Telica, has several nested craters. The fumaroles and boiling mudpots of Hervideros de San Jacinto, SE of Telica, form a prominent geothermal area frequented by tourists, and geothermal exploration has occurred nearby. (GVP)

Featured image: Telica eruption on June 21, 2018