Volcano in Mexico
El Chichon volcano: eruption status today
Updated
No eruption of El Chichon is being reported right now Last eruption: 1964 or later; last significant eruption 1982 (NOAA NCEI).
Live status of El Chichon: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.
- Status now
- No open report
- Last eruption
- 1964 or later last significant: 1982
- Elevation
- 1,150 m 3,773 ft
- Type
- Tuff cone
- Earthquakes within 50 km
- 0 past 30 days (USGS)
- Hot spots within 10 km
- 0 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
- Nearest city
- Tuxtla 69 km S
Is El Chichon erupting right now?
There is no open NASA EONET event for El Chichon right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to 1964 or later, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 1982. Volcano observatories can raise alert levels before an eruption starts, so check the national observatory for the current alert level.
No satellite thermal hot spot was detected within 10 km of the summit in the latest NASA FIRMS data, so there is no sign of lava at the surface large enough for VIIRS to see (clouds can hide it).
Earthquakes near El Chichon
USGS has no earthquake within 50 km of El Chichon in the past 30 days. Outside the United States USGS mainly lists quakes above about M4, so small volcanic tremors recorded by the local observatory will not appear here.
About El Chichon
El Chichon is a tuff cone in Mexico, rising to 1,150 m (3,773 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".
The nearest large town is Tuxtla, about 69 km S of the summit; 5 other cities lie within 250 km.
- Tuxtla (69 km) earthquakes nearby
- Villahermosa (76 km) earthquakes nearby
- San Cristóbal de las Casas (94 km) earthquakes nearby
- Coatzacoalcos (156 km)
- Minatitlán (158 km)
- Comitán (170 km)
Flights and volcanic ash
No major hub airport is within 400 km (the closest is Mexico City, 658 km away), but ash clouds from explosive eruptions can drift for thousands of kilometres along flight routes.
Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) issue the official ash advisories that airlines and air traffic control follow.
Other volcanoes in Mexico
Mexico has 8 volcanoes on this site that erupted since 1900 or are active now, 1 of them with an open NASA activity report today. The closest other one is Tacana, 275 km away.
Nearby volcanoes
Volcanoes in Mexico
More
Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.