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Apoyo Volcano | John Seach
Nicaragua
11.92 N, 86.03 W
summit elevation 468 m
Caldera
Apoyo caldera is located 30 km southeast of Managua, Nicaragua. It lies along the NW-trending chain of Quaternary volcanoes
in western Nicaragua between Lakes Managua and Nicaragua.
The caldera has a diameter of 7.0 X 6.5 km with a depth of 600 m below the west rim. Laguna de Apoyo is located in the caldera.
Las Sierras Formation
These are the oldest rocks at Apoyo volcano.
They were erupted during the Pleistocene.
Caldera collapse
Eruptions
23,000 years ago produced airfalls, ash-flows and pyroclastic surges. The volume of ejected material was 11 cubic km.
A thin, widespread pyroclastic surge deposit was erupted from a vent within Masaya caldera between 2200 and 6800 yr ago.
1997 Seismic swarm
A seismic swarm occurred in June 1997 on the E flank of Laguna de Apoyo. The largest event was 3.7 with an intensity of IV. The earthquakes were felt at Granada, 10 km from the volcano.
Eruptions 24,000 years ago
Two large plinian eruptions occurred at Apoyo volcano 24,000 years ago.
Pyroclastic flows reached 100 m up the northern flank of the nearby Mombacho volcano at 5-km from Apoyo. The eruptions expelled 30 cubic km of lava, with 20 m deep ignimbrite deposited on the lake shore.
Further reading
Freundt, Armin, et al. "Volcanogenic tsunamis in lakes: examples from Nicaragua and general implications." Tsunami and Its Hazards in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Birkhäuser Basel, 2007. 527-545.
Sussman, D., 1985. Apoyo Caldera, Nicaragua: A major Quaternary silicic eruptive center. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 24(3-4), pp.249-282.
Apoyo Volcano Eruptions
more than 2200 years ago