Santiaguito Fieldwork
This wednesday, I will be starting three weeks of fieldwork in Guatemala. There I will be working with a group of fellow volcanologists and seismologists from the University of Liverpool. We are heading to the Santiaguito dome complex, one of the most active and fascinating volcanoes in the world. Santiaguito dome complex, with an explosion plume rising from the active Caliente vent. The older Santa Maria volcano forms the high peak on the far right. (Taken Dec. 2005. Source: photovolcanica.com) I've introduced Santiaguito on this blog before , but I thought I would rewrite it with a little update on its recent activity. Santiaguito is a lava dome complex that has been growing non-stop since 1922; an exceptionally long eruption for any kind of volcano. It is forming inside a crater created during a massive VEI 6 eruption of the Santa Maria volcano in 1902. The dome eruption has been accompanied by regular vulcanian explosions, lava flows, pyroclastic flows, and lahars. In