Volacanoes and Preventions

Guatemala is home to large numbers of volcanoes, many of them currently active. With a total of 37 volcanoes and of three being in constant activity (Pacaya, Santiaguito, and Fuego), these eruptions can get violent due to its location placed in the hot spots of the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean. According to the Smithsonian Institution, it is reported that between February 3-17 of this year, there have been two specific volcanoes in Guatemala which have been continuously active. The first being Santa Maria Santiaguito, this is a dome-shaped volcano and is capable to generate pyroclastic flows, which are debris of explosive ashes being ejected. Volcán de Fuego is the second report, where explosions have been recorded between 3-10 per hour, generating gas-and-ash plumes and causing block avalanches. The most recent catastrophic event relating to Fuego was in 2018 and was deemed as the most severe volcanic eruption in 45 years

 
    Santa Maria (Santiaguito)                           Volcán de Fuego 
    June 3, 2018: Drone footage of the crater of Fuego 

Mitigation
The eruptions of Fuego specifically brought greater attention for mitigation and longer term volcanic risk reduction. Road Map to Strengthen Distaster Risk Management in Guatemala is a workshop that includes 6 strategic actions to prepare for future eruptions. These actions include: land use planning, strengthening volcano monitoring, institutional coordination, responding to protocols, public finances, and community engagement. 

For other preventions, Guatemala provides natural disaster alerts for updated weather and hazard information. CONRED and INSIVUMEH

More information is included regarding to volcanic monitoring and threat assessments via IAVCEI

                      Carlos Garrido Guatemala GIF by CGTraveler - Carlos Garrido - Adventrgram






Comments

  1. Hi Tiffanie! Beautiful blog, I have actually hiked to see Fuego in person. It was a very life changing experience. It would erupt almost 30 minutes to an hour. It truly is a sight to see and encourage you to do the hike if you ever get a chance. I knew Guatemala had a good amount of volcanoes but I was not aware that they had 37 volcanoes. Its very good that they have protocols and mitigation when it comes to volcanoes as it is a very active country. Thank you so much for sharing and keep up the good work!

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  2. Greetings Tiffanie; I really enjoyed reading your amazing blog. I learned so much about Guatemala and you did such a dynamite job covering the current status of the volcanoes in your country which I did not know there was that many active volcanoes there! It really made me want to learn more. Also your presentation was inspiring with the visual pictures you chose. Outstanding job, thank you!

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