Santa Ana Volcano

Updated: Mar 29, 2025 08:48 GMT - refresh

stratovolcano

El Salvador, 13.85°N / -89.63°W

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Summit height: 2381 m / 7,812 ft

Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)

Last update: 10 Dec 2021 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

Santa Ana (also known as Ilamatepec) volcano is a stratovolcano about 45 km west of San Salvador city. It is El Salvador's highest volcano and one of its most active.
The broad summit of Santa Ana has a beautiful array of concentric craters with crescent-shaped rims.
Historical activity were mainly small-to-moderate explosive eruptions from both summit and flank vents and has been documented since the 16th century. The San Marcelino cinder cone on the SE flank produced a lava flow in 1722 that traveled 13 km to the east.

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News/Updates | Earthquakes

Typical eruption style: explosive
Santa Ana volcano eruptions: 2005, 1920, 1904, 1884, 1882(?), 1880, 1879, 1878(?), 1874, 1734, 1722, 1621(?), 1576, ?1570, 1524, 1521, 1520(?)

Latest nearby earthquakes

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Distance / Location
Mar 26, 09:19 am (Universal Time)	2.2 8 km	20 km (12 mi) to the E	23 km Al Sureste De Santa Ana, El Salvador	Info
Mar 26, 06:08 am (Universal Time)	2.1 11 km	21 km (13 mi) to the E	22 km Al Noroeste De Santa Tecla, El Salvador	Info
Sunday, March 23, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 23, 05:23 pm (Universal Time)	2.2 5 km	18 km (11 mi) to the W	7 km Al Sureste De Ahuachapan, El Salvador	Info
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 19, 07:59 am (Universal Time)	1.9 7 km	28 km (17 mi) to the NW	21 km Al Noroeste De Santa Ana, El Salvador	Info
Monday, March 17, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 17, 04:05 am (Universal Time)	1.6 8 km	10.6 km (6.6 mi) to the NW	14 km Al Norte De Ahuachapan, El Salvador	Info

View recent quakes

Background

Santa Ana is dominantly andesitic-to-trachyandesitic. It is located immediately west of Coatepeque caldera. Collapse of Santa Ana during the late Pleistocene produced a voluminous debris avalanche that swept into the Pacific Ocean, forming the Acajutla Peninsula.
Reconstruction of the volcano subsequently filled most of the collapse scarp. There are several parasitic vents and cones which have formed along a 20-km-long fissure system that extends from near the town of Chalchuapa NNW of the volcano to the San Marcelino and Cerro la Olla cinder cones on the SE flank.

Significant volcanic eruptions: Santa Ana volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Santa Ana has had at least 13 confirmed volcanic eruptions, out of which 12 are documented by historical records, while the others can be inferred from geological evidence.
Additionally, there are 6 uncertain or discredited eruptions from Santa Ana volcano.

The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Santa Ana volcano in historic times and during the past 10,000 years. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Santa Ana can be found on the news page of Santa Ana volcano.

Date	Note	VEI	Deaths
2005 Jun 16 - Oct 1 ?	Historical obs./docs.	3
2005 Oct 1 (eruption 2005 Jun 16 - Oct 1 ?)	Historical obs./docs.	3	2	Info
2005 Oct 1: Two persons were killed at the settlement of Palo de Campana, on the NE flank, possibly due to landslides associated with heavy rainfall. (reference #9675) A 1 October 2005 eruption at Santa Ana (also called Ilamatepec) sent a plume to 14 km altitude and led to initial estimates cited in the press of two deaths (perhaps from landslides), several injuries, and the evacuation of over 2,000 people. (reference #2432) Cited references #2432 Venzke, E., R.W. Wunderman, L. McClelland, T. Simkin, J.F. Luhr, L. Siebert, and G. Mayberry (eds.) (2002-): Global Volcanism, 1968 to the Present. Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program Digital Information Series, GVP-4 (http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/). #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1954 Apr		2
?? 1920 Nov	Uncertain Eruption	2?
1904 Jan 12 - Jan 26 ?	Historical obs./docs.	2
1884 Mar 9 - Mar 10	Historical obs./docs.	2
?? 1882	Uncertain Eruption	?
1880 Mar	NW flank (Mala Cara) Historical obs./docs.	3
1879 Feb 1 ±30 d.	Historical obs./docs.	2
?? 1878	Uncertain Eruption	2
1874	Historical obs./docs.	3
1734 Jun	Historical obs./docs.	2?
1722 Mar 12	SE flank (San Marcelino) Historical obs./docs.	2
1650 ±50 y. AD	Discredited Eruption
?? 1621 AD	Uncertain Eruption	?
1576 AD	Historical obs./docs.	3
1570 ? AD	Historical obs./docs.	?
1524 AD Apr 30 ±30 d.	Historical obs./docs.	3
1521 AD Dec 31 ±365 d.	Historical obs./docs.	3
?? 1520 AD	Uncertain Eruption	?

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Eruptions of Santa Ana volcano

2005 eruption
A sudden explosive eruption occurred at Santa Ana volcano at 08:20 local time on 1 October 2005. It produced a violent explosion of 1 hour, generating a 10 km high eruption column. 2 people were killed probably by a boiling lahar, and thousands evacuated. ...more info

Santa Ana Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Santa Ana volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Santa Ana occurred in 2005.

+How often does Santa Ana volcano erupt?

Since 1521 AD, Santa Ana volcano has had at least 12 historically documented eruptions. This means that it erupts on average every 42 years.

+How active is Santa Ana volcano at present?

Santa Ana volcano is occasionally active: Since 1900, it has had 2 eruptions, and been active during 2 years out of 126 as of now. This means, Santa Ana has been in eruption one in 63 years on average. The last eruption was in 2005 and ended 19 years ago.

+When was the largest eruption of Santa Ana volcano?

The largest eruption of Santa Ana volcano in historic times occurred in 2005. It ranks as a "vulcanian" eruption with a magnitude 3 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest satellite images

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

Latest satellite images

Santa Ana Volcano Maps

Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).