Masaya Volcano

Coordinates: 11°58′58″N 86°9′43″W / 11.98278°N 86.16194°W / 11.98278; -86.16194
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Masaya Volcano
Central American Volcanic Belt
Last eruption2015–present

Masaya (

Masaya, Nicaragua, 20 km (12 mi) south of the capital Managua. It is Nicaragua's first and largest national park, and one of 78 protected areas of Nicaragua. The complex volcano is composed of a nested set of calderas and craters, the largest of which is Las Sierras shield volcano and caldera. Within this caldera lies a sub-vent, which is Masaya Volcano sensu stricto. The vent is a shield type composing of basaltic lavas and tephras and includes a summit crater. This hosts Masaya caldera, formed 2,500 years ago by an 8 km3 (1.9 cu mi) basaltic ignimbrite eruption. Inside this caldera a new basaltic complex has grown from eruptions mainly on a semi-circular set of vents that include the Masaya and Nindiri cones. The latter host the pit craters
of Masaya, Santiago, Nindiri and San Pedro. Observations in the walls of the pit craters indicate that there have been several episodes of cone and pit crater formation.

Masaya continually emits large amounts of sulfur dioxide gas (from the active Santiago crater) and volcanologists study this (amongst other signs) to better understand the behavior of the volcano and also evaluate the impact of acid rain and the potential for health problems.

History

Santiago crater

The floor of Masaya caldera is mainly covered by poorly vegetated ʻaʻā lava, indicating resurfacing within the past 1,000 or so years, but only two lava flows have erupted since the sixteenth century. The first, in 1670, was an overflow from the Nindiri crater, which at that time hosted a 1-km-wide lava lake. The other, in 1772, issued from a fissure on the flank of the Masaya cone. Since 1772, lava has appeared at the surface only in the Santiago pit crater (presently active and persistently degassing) and possibly within Nindiri crater in 1852. A lake occupies the far eastern end of the caldera.

Although the recent activity of Masaya has largely been dominated by continuous degassing from an occasionally lava-filled pit crater, a number of discrete explosive events have occurred in the last 50 years.

Multi-Component Gas Analyzer System, which detects pre-eruptive degassing of rising magmas, improving prediction of volcanic activity.[2]

On March 4, 2020, tightrope daredevil Nik Wallenda walked on a steel cable over the caldera.[3]

National park

Masaya Volcano

In 1979, Masaya became Nicaragua's first national park, named Masaya Volcano National Park (Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya). The park has an area of 54 km2 (21 sq mi) and includes two volcanoes and five craters,[4] as well as a range of elevations between 100 and 630 meters above sea level. In the park is a lava tube formed by lava flows; one can find bats and look inside and observe the glowing lava in the dark crater mouth of the volcano.[4]

Geologic setting

See also: Geology of Nicaragua
Geological map
Pele's hair, Santiago Crater, Nindiri Volcano

Masaya is one of 18 distinct volcanic centers that make up the Nicaraguan portion of the

ophiolitic suite; 2. Tertiary basins; 3. Tertiary volcanics; and the 4. Active Quaternary
volcanic range.

An ophiolitic suite is found in the

formations
are uplifted to the southeast and are overlain in the northwest by a slightly tilted marine near-shore sequence, the El Fraile formation. This in turn passes north into the undeformed Tamarindo formation, a sequence of shallow marine, lacustrine and terrestrial sediments interspersed with ignimbrites. Northeast of the Nicaraguan Depression, the Coyol and Matagalpa formations, run from Honduras to Costa Rica and still show evidence of some volcanic centres, distinguishable as constructional landforms.

Quaternary volcanic rocks are found mainly in the Nicaraguan

Concepcion and Maderas
volcanoes mark the end of Nicaraguan section of the CAVF.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Masaya". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  2. ^ "Real-Time Multi-GAS sensing of volcanic gas composition: experiences from the permanent Etna and Stromboli networks, Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 11, EGU2009-5839" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-10-01. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  3. ^ Haring, Bruce (March 5, 2020). "'Volcano Live!' Sees Nik Wallenda Appease The Gods – And Anger Some Fans". Deadline. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Visiting Masaya Volcano National Park". ViaNica. Archived from the original on 2007-09-21. Retrieved 2007-08-03.

Further reading

  • Delmelle, P., Stix, J., Baxter, P.J., Garcia-Alvarez, J. and Barquero, J. (2002). Atmospheric dispersion, environmental effects and potential health hazard associated with the low-altitude gas plume of Masaya volcano, Nicaragua. Bulletin of Volcanology, 10.1007/s00445-002-0221-6
  • Rymer, H., van Wyk de Vries, B., Stix, J., and Williams-Jones, G. (1998). Pit crater structure and processes governing persistent activity at Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua. Bulletin of Volcanology, 59, 345–355.
  • Williams-Jones, G., Rymer, H., and Rothery, D.A. (2003). Gravity changes and passive degassing at the Masaya caldera complex, Nicaragua. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 123(1-2), 137–160.

External links

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