Skip to main content
Back to map
CompareShow on map

Nicaragua · Stratovolcano

Volcán Momotombo

Momotombo

Type
Stratovolcano
Elevation
1270m
Last eruption
2016
Volcán Momotombo
CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Nicaragua
Region
Middle America & Caribbean / Central America Volcanic Arc
Elevation
1270m
Coordinates
12.423, -86.539
Last eruption
2016
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-basalt
Geological summary

Momotombo is a young stratovolcano that rises prominently above the NW shore of Lake Managua, forming one of Nicaragua's most familiar landmarks. Momotombo began growing about 4500 years ago at the SE end of the Marrabios Range and consists of a somma from an older edifice that is surmounted by a symmetrical younger cone with a 150 x 250 m wide summit crater. Young lava flows extend down the NW flank into the 4-km-wide Monte Galán caldera. The youthful cone of Momotombito forms an island offshore in Lake Managua. Momotombo has a long record of Strombolian eruptions, punctuated by occasional stronger explosive activity. The latest eruption, in 1905, produced a lava flow that traveled from the summit to the lower NE base. A small black plume was seen above the crater after a 10 April 1996 earthquake, but later observations noted no significant changes in the crater. A major geothermal field is located on the south flank.

From Wikipedia

Momotombo is a stratovolcano in Nicaragua, located near the city of León. It stands on the shores of Lake Managua. An eruption of the volcano in 1610 forced inhabitants of León, in the Spanish Empire, to relocate about 48 kilometres (30 mi) west. The ruins of the city are preserved at León Viejo. It also erupted in 1886, 1905 and most recently on 30 November 2015 and 28 February 2016.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

22 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
2550 BCE~2352 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?962 BCE~764 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 41023~1221 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1420~1618 · 4 eruptions · max VEI 41618~1817 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 21817~2015 · 13 eruptions · max VEI 22550 BCE1359 BCE367 BCE8241817

Detailed timeline

  1. 2015VEI 2Observed
    2015-12-01 – 2016-04-07
    Summit crater and NW flank
  2. 1918VEI 1Observed
    1918-04-16 – end unknown
  3. 1905VEI 2Observed
    1905-01-16 – 1905-01-21
  4. 1902VEI 2Observed
    1902-03-31 – end unknown
  5. 1886VEI 2Observed
    1886-05-19 – 1887-07-02
  6. 1885VEI 1Method not stated
    1885-10-16 – end unknown
  7. 1882VEI 2Observed
    1882-09-09 – end unknown
  8. 1878VEI 2Observed
    1878-10-14 – end unknown
  9. 1870VEI 2Observed
    1870-07-02 – end unknown
  10. 1858VEI 2Observed
    1858-07-02 – 1866-07-02
  11. 1854VEI 2Observed
    1854-02-16 – 1854-03-16
  12. 1852VEI 2Observed
    1852-07-02 – end unknown
  13. 1849VEI 2Observed
    1849-07-02 – end unknown
  14. 1764VEI 2Observed
    1764 – end unknown
  15. 1736VEI 2Observed
    1736 – end unknown
  16. 1609VEI ?Method not stated
    1609 – end unknown
  17. 1605VEI 4Observed
    1605 – 1606
  18. 1578VEI 2Observed
    1578-02 – end unknown
  19. 1524VEI 3Observed
    1524 – end unknown
  20. 1100 (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1100 – end unknown
  21. 800 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    800 BCE – end unknown
  22. 2550 BCE (±300 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    2550 BCE – end unknown

Nearby volcanoes

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.