According to news articles, heavy rains caused landslides and flooding in the town of Verapaz, about 6 km NW of the summit of San Vicente, during 7-8 November. Mud and boulders swept down the flanks San Vicente, and in conjunction with flooded rivers, buried homes and cars; at least 144 people were killed and about 60 were missing.

All times are local (= UTC - 9 hours [or 8 hours early April-late October])

2009: November |
2001: February |

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4 November 2009            Back to Top

According to news articles, heavy rains caused landslides and flooding in the town of Verapaz, about 6 km NW of the summit of San Vicente, during 7-8 November. Mud and boulders swept down the flanks San Vicente, and in conjunction with flooded rivers, buried homes and cars; at least 144 people were killed and about 60 were missing.

Sources: Associated Press

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14 February 2001            Back to Top

There were reports of volcanic activity at San Vicente volcano after a M 6.6 earthquake occurred at 1422 on 13 February. The earthquake caused more than 25 landslides on the flanks of the volcano that reportedly killed 39 people. The Centro de Investigaciones Geotécnicas investigated the activity reports and determined that no volcanic activity had occurred. In addition, the government reported that there was no volcanic activity at San Miguel, San Salvador, or Santa Ana volcanoes.

Sources: La Prensa Grafica , Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (SNET) , US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program , US Geological Survey Volcano Disaster Assistance Program , El Diario de Hoy

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Below is a summary of eruption dates and Volcanic Explosivity Indices (VEI).

The following references are the sources used for data regarding this volcano. References are linked directly to our volcano data file. Discussion of another volcano or eruption (sometimes far from the one that is the subject of the manuscript) may produce a citation that is not at all apparent from the title. Additional discussion of data sources can be found under Volcano Data Criteria.

Aiuppa A, Rotolo S G, Villa I M, 1999. Stratigraphy, geochemistry and geochronology of a Quaternary pyroclastic sequence of the Chichontepec volcano, El Salvador. {Rev Geol Amer Central}, 22: 75-86

Barberi F, Rotolo S G, Aiuppa A, 1995. Petrology of Chichontepeque volcano (El Salvador). {Periodico Mineral}, 64: 89-91

Carr M J, 1984. Symmetrical and segmented variation of physical and geochemical characterisitics of the Central American volcanic front. {J Volc Geotherm Res}, 20: 231-252

Escobar C D, 1999. . (pers. comm.)

IAVCEI, 1973-80. Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World. {IAVCEI Data Sheets, Rome: Internatl Assoc Volc Chemistry Earth's Interior}.

Major J J, Schilling S P, Pullinger C R, Escobar C D, 2004. Debris-flow hazards at San Salvador, San Vicente, and San Miguel volcanoes, El Salvador. {In}: Rose W I, Bommer J J, Lopez D L, Carr M J, Major J J (eds), Natural Hazards in El Salvador, {Geol Soc Amer Spec Pap}, 375: 89-108

Major J J, Schilling S P, Pullinger C R, Escobar C D, Howell M M, 2001. Volcano-hazard zonation for San Vicente volcano, El Salvador. {U S Geol Surv Open-File Rpt}, 01-367: 1-21

Mooser F, Meyer-Abich H, McBirney A R, 1958. Central America. {Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields}, Rome: IAVCEI, 6: 1-146

Rotolo S G, Aiuppa A, Pullinger C R, Parello F, Tenorio-Mejia J, 1998. An introduction to San Vicente (Chichontepec) volcano, El Salvador. {Rev Geol Amer Central}, 21: 25-36

Rotolo S G, Castorina F, 1998. Transition from mildly-tholeiitic to calc-alkaline suite: the case of Chichontepec volcanic centre, El Salvador, Central America. {J Volc Geotherm Res}, 86: 117-136

Sapper K, 1917. {Katalog der Geschichtlichen Vulkanausbruche}. Strasbourg: Karl J Trubner, 358 p

Sapper K, 1925. {The Volcanoes of Central America}. Halle: Verlag Max Niemeyer, 144 p

Siebert L, Alvarado G E, Vallance J W, van Wyk de Vries B, 2006. Large-volume volcanic edifice failures in Central America and associated hazards. {In}: Rose W I, Bluth G J S, Carr M J, Ewert J W, Patino L C, Vallance J W (eds), Volcanic hazards in Central America, {Geol Soc Amer Spec Pap}, 412: 1-26

Weyl R, 1952. {Estudios Geologicos de la Region del Rio Comalapa, El Salvador}. Communic Itic Ano I, San Salvador

The twin peaks of San Vicente volcano, also known as Chichontepec, rise dramatically to the SE of Lake Ilopango. The modern andesitic stratovolcano was constructed within the Pleistocene La Carbonera caldera, whose rim is visible only on its SW side. San Vicente volcano, the second highest in El Salvador, grew within the caldera to form a paired volcano with summit craters oriented along a WSW-ENE line. The northern and southern flanks are covered by lava flows from the central vent, but lava flows on the eastern side originated from a vent on the upper flank. Volcanism has continued into the Holocene, but the latest lava flows are covered by deposits from the major ca. 260 AD eruption from neighboring Ilopango volcano. Reports of historical eruptions in 1643 and 1835 are false (Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World; Sapper, 1917), but numerous hot springs and fumaroles are found on the northern and western flanks of the volcano.