San Miguel (volcano)

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The Chaparrastique or Volcán de San Miguel Bosotlan, is a stratovolcano in El Salvador. It is located in the department of San Miguel about 11 kilometers southwest of San Miguel (El Salvador), a few kilometers southeast of the caldera of the volcano older Chinameca.

Chaparrastique means shrub landscape on warm earth. Of the locals, the proportion of plants is estimated to erosion as much, which leads to the concept of changing landscape plants. On the Chaparrastique coffee is grown up to the tree line and grow agaves. On the slopes of Chaparrastique lives an endemic subspecies of Laucharassaris, Aulacorhynchus prasinus volcanius.

The central crater has a diameter of about 800 meters and numerous points at which temporarily escapes lava. Since the founding of San Miguel in 1530, eight times the escape of lava flows out of fissures of the volcano was observed, among other things, on July 20, 1844 1855.

The shape of its symmetrical Basaltandesit - cone is one of the most developed in Central America regularly. He is one of the six most active volcanoes in El Salvador. There were registered 26 outbreaks in the last 304 years. The most violent took place in 1787. 2006 increased seismic activity was detected in the vicinity of the volcano.

Eruption in 2013

According to the Ministry for the Environment, the volcano on 29 December, after 37 years on Sunday 2013 at 10:30 clock active again. Chaparrastique produced an approximately 5 km high column of gas and ash. The authorities warned residents not to go near the volcano. Since December 13, 2013 increased activity inside the volcano was detected.

The international airport in San Salvador, setting numerous scheduled flights. 33 flights were canceled Sunday night alone because of the ash cloud. Affected airlines were among other Iberia and United Airlines.

It was proclaimed a temporary protection zone in the area around the volcano. As the civil defense in El Salvador announced are affected approximately 5,000 people in the province of San Miguel. Within a radius of about three kilometers around the volcano have already had to evacuate their homes around 2000 residents. President Mauricio Funes warned people on Sunday on the radio of a possible increase in seismic activity. The regional radio station 106.1 FM Chaparrastique San Miguel informs the population informed of the current situation further. A new sequence of eruptive outbreaks with increased emission of sulfur dioxide was registered on 1 January 2014.