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Reassessment of the eruptive history of the Atitlán volcano: towards hazard evaluation

Eduard Pico Rodriguez1, Lucia Capra Pedol1, Rafael Torres Orozco2, Daniel Eduardo Secaira Ziegler3, Gustavo Adolfo Chigna Marroquín4, María Moncada Vásquez3

  • Affiliations: 1 Instituto de Geociencias, Campus Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, México; 2 Centro de Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, México; 3Asociación Vivamos Mejor Guatemala, Panajachel, Guatemala; 4 Área de Vulcanología, Instituto de Sismología, Vulcanología, Meteorología e Hidrología de Guatemala (INSIVUMEH), Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala.

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Friday 16:30 - 18:00, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 122

  • Programme No: 3.4.12

  • Theme 3 > Session 4

Abstract

Guatemala ranks as the sixth nation in the world with the most significant volcanic threat and is among the most vulnerable and least resilient to natural disasters. The Atitlán volcano is considered the third most hazardous volcano in the country, following Santiaguito and Fuego. It has been active in historical times, with at least six eruptive episodes documented since the arrival of the Spaniards. The most recent episode began in 1826 and concluded in 1856. Approximately 70,000 people reside within a 10 km radius of the Atitlán volcano, mainly in the municipalities of Santiago Atitlán and San Lucas Tolimán. Due to the communities' low resilience to natural hazards, the Atitlán volcano is ranked first in the global volcanic risk index. Understanding the volcano's historical eruptive activity and its associated products is essential to mitigating the potential impact of a future eruption. Previous studies in the region have primarily focused on the major eruptions of the Atitlán caldera and the development of a regional geologic map of Quaternary and Tertiary deposits, often without detailed stratigraphic distinctions. This work reassesses the Holocene eruptive history of the Atitlán volcano, incorporating new data on stratigraphic relationships, deposit distribution, radiocarbon (C14) dating, petrology, and geochemistry. These findings are crucial for establishing future eruptive scenarios in case of volcanic unrest, identifying areas potentially impacted by pyroclastic deposits, and contributing to an updated volcanic hazard assessment.