Volcano in Nicaragua
San Cristobal volcano: eruption status today
Updated
San Cristobal is active now: NASA lists an open volcanic activity event (latest report May 30, 2026) 0 earthquakes within 50 km in the past 7 days.
Live status of San Cristobal: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.
- Status now
- Active (NASA EONET) latest report May 30, 2026
- Last eruption
- 1964 or later last significant: 1998
- Elevation
- 1,745 m 5,725 ft
- Type
- Stratovolcano
- Earthquakes within 50 km
- 1 past 30 days (USGS)
- Hot spots within 10 km
- 0 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
- Nearest city
- Chinandega 16 km WSW
Is San Cristobal erupting right now?
NASA's Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET) has an open volcanic event for San Cristobal, last updated May 30, 2026 (149 days ago). EONET opens an event when agencies such as the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program report eruptive activity or unrest, and closes it when activity ends.
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 San Cristobal
USGS located 1 earthquake within 50 km of San Cristobal in the past 30 days, 0 of them in the last week. The largest was M4.6 on Oct 7, 2026, 11 km E of the summit at 206 km depth.
0 of them were shallower than 10 km. Swarms of shallow quakes can mean magma or gas is moving, but most swarms end without an eruption; observatories combine them with ground deformation and gas data.
| Time (UTC) | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7, 20:56 UTC | M4.6 | 11 km E | 206 km | 18 km NNE of Posoltega, Nicaragua |
About San Cristobal
San Cristobal is a stratovolcano in Nicaragua, rising to 1,745 m (5,725 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".
Stratovolcanoes are steep cones built from alternating lava and ash layers; their eruptions are often explosive, with ash columns that can reach cruising altitude.
The nearest large town is Chinandega, about 16 km WSW of the summit; 5 other cities lie within 250 km.
- Chinandega (16 km) earthquakes nearby
- León (33 km) earthquakes nearby
- Managua (103 km) earthquakes nearby
- Matagalpa (120 km) earthquakes nearby
- Masaya (128 km) earthquakes nearby
- Granada, Granada Department (143 km) earthquakes nearby
Flights and volcanic ash
No major hub airport is within 400 km (the closest is Cancún, 927 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 Nicaragua
Nicaragua has 9 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 Telica, 21 km away.
Nearby volcanoes
Volcanoes in Nicaragua
More
Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.