Lake Atitlan Volcano Activity

Lake Atitlan Volcano Activity. Lake Atitlan is the deepest lake in Central America and one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. “Atitlan” in Mayan means “the place where the rainbow gets its colors”.

Lake Atitlán (Spanish: Lago de Atitlán, [atiˈtlan]) is a lake in the Guatemalan Highlands of the Sierra Madre mountain range. It is in the Sololá Department of southwestern Guatemala.

The geological history of Lake Atitlan is the result of a volcano that erupted some 85,000 years ago. After the eruption of this volcano, the likes of which was larger than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, an enormous caldera formed. Over time, water filled the caldera, thus providing Guatemala with one of the world’s most beautiful lakes.

Volcanic activity in the Lake Atitlan area began millions of years ago. Around eleven million years, to be more exact. It is responsible for shaping the landscape, and that role continues to this day. Evidence of the continuing action found in the three volcanoes that serve to embellish the beauty of the Lake Atitlan area.

These volcanoes are  Volcan San Pedro, Volcan Atitlan, and Volcan Toliman.

Volcano San Pedro (or Las Yeguas) (3,020 metres (9,908 ft)) is a stratovolcano in Guatemala, on the shores of Lago de Atitlán. At its base is a village of the same name: San Pedro La Laguna.

Volcano Atitlán is a large, conical, active stratovolcano adjacent to the caldera of Lake Atitlán in the Highlands of Guatemala. The volcano has been quite active historically, with more than a dozen eruptions recorded between 1469 and 1853, the date of its most recent eruption. Atitlán is part of the Central American Volcanic Arc. The arc is a chain of volcanoes stretching along Central America formed by subduction of the Cocos Plate underneath the Caribbean Plate. These volcanoes are part of the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean.

Volcano Atitlán is few miles south of Volcán Tolimán, which rises from the southern shore of Lake Atitlán. Volcán San Pedro rises above Lake Atitlán northwest of Volcán Atitlán. A long narrow bay separates Volcán Atitlán and Volcán Toliman from Volcán San Pedro.

Volcano Tolimán is a stratovolcano in Guatemala, on the southern shores of Lago de Atitlán. The volcano has an elevation of 3,158 m(10,361 ft) and was formed near the southern margin of the Pleistocene Atitlán III caldera. The top of the volcano has a shallow crater and its flanks covered with the thick remains of ancient lavas flows that emerged from vents in the volcano’s flanks. A parasitic lava dome, known as Cerro de Oro, formed on the volcano’s northern flank, which may have erupted a few thousand years ago.

Lake Atitlan Sunrise Volcano Tour San Pedro, Do you love adventure? How about taking the path less traveled? Are you ready to experience what it feels like to stand at the top of a volcano? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of those questions it’s time to pack your bags because Guatemala is calling your name.