Some Volcanoes in Southeastern Guatemala


The volcanoes in southeastern Guatemala are distinct from those in the rest of the Central American volcanic chain. None of them have any recorded eruptions but most appear to have been active in the Pleistocene. They are not aligned along a single axis. Instead, they are scattered all over southeastern Guatemala, extending almost as far inland as the plate boundary. Ayarza volcano, which I include on the South-Central Guatemala page, is usually categorized as part of southeastern Guatemala.

Below are photos of some of these cones that I took while driving around southeastern Guatemala in the fall of 1976 in search of exposures of Tertiary volcanic rocks. Relatively little is known about most of these mountains. The leading hypothesis for their anomalous appearance is that a sliver of the subducting Cocos Plate is descending at a very low angle.

Suchitán

Like all of the volcanoes in southeastern Guatemala, Suchitán has no recorded eruptive activity.

Retana

The Retana Caldera used to be flooded by a shallow lake. The lake was drained so that the rich soil on the lake bottom could be used for agriculture.

Ipala

Ipala volcano stands higher above its surroundings than the other volcanoes in this part of the country. This cone has a small lake in its crater.

Jumay

Jumay volcano is situated well behind the main volcanic chain in Central America. It is located just south of the Jocotán Fault, the southernmost of the major faults that make up the plate boundary between the Caribbean and North American plates.

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