Santa Ana (Ilamatepec)
El Salvador's Tallest Volcano
2,381 m
2005
Stratovolcano
El Salvador
Location
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Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment
Primary Hazards
- Pyroclastic flows
- Lava flows
- Volcanic bombs and ballistics
- Lahars and mudflows
Risk Level
Geological Composition & Structure
Rock Types
Tectonic Setting
Age & Formation
Eruption Statistics & Analysis
| Metric | Value | Global Ranking | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Recorded Eruptions | Unknown | Low | Moderately active volcano |
| Maximum VEI | VEI Unknown | Minor | Local impact potential |
| Recent Activity | 21 years ago | Recent | Recently active |
Monitoring & Alert Status
Monitoring Networks
Current Status
Authority Sources
Related Volcanoes
Jose Marroquin
via Unsplash
Other Volcanoes in El Salvador
- Izalco
Stratovolcano
- San Miguel
Stratovolcano
Interesting Facts
Santa Ana (Ilamatepec) is the highest point in El Salvador at 2,381 m (7,812 ft) and the country's most voluminous volcano.
The volcano's summit crater contains a vivid turquoise acid lake with pH values as low as 0.5 — one of the most acidic crater lakes in Central America.
In the late Pleistocene, a massive sector collapse sent a debris avalanche all the way to the Pacific Ocean, forming the Acajutla Peninsula where El Salvador's principal port now operates.
The 1722 eruption from the San Marcelino flank vent produced a lava flow that traveled 13 km — one of the longest young lava flows in El Salvador.
Santa Ana has a 20-km-long fissure system extending from near Chalchuapa in the northwest through the summit to the San Marcelino cones on the southeast flank.
The 2005 phreatomagmatic eruption ejected the crater lake, sending hot acidic mudflows down the flanks that killed 2 people and displaced approximately 5,000.
Izalco volcano, once called the 'Lighthouse of the Pacific,' grew on Santa Ana's southeastern flank beginning in 1770 — essentially a parasitic cone of the larger volcano.
The indigenous Nahuatl name Ilamatepec means 'Old Woman Mountain,' describing the volcano's broad, low-angle profile.
Approximately 1 million people live within 30 km of Santa Ana's summit, making it one of the most population-exposed volcanoes in Central America.
El Salvador has 16 Holocene volcanoes in just 21,041 km² — one of the highest volcanic densities per unit area of any country on Earth.
Santa Ana has produced 18 recorded eruptions over 500 years, with six reaching VEI 3 — a remarkably consistent level of explosive activity.
The volcano's fertile slopes support some of El Salvador's most productive coffee-growing regions, particularly on the cooler upper flanks.