Santa Maria Volcano: Introduction
Santa María, a stratovolcano in the southwestern Guatemalan volcanic highlands, is the site of one of the twentieth century's largest eruptions. It is also the home of Santiaguito, one of the most active lava dome complexes in the world. The group of four lava domes formed at the foot of Santa María twenty years after the volcano's devastating 1902 eruption, and the domes have been growing ever since. The currently active dome, El Caliente, is the site of regular ash-and-gas explosions, and this minor but persistent activity has drawn many tourists to catch a glimpse of explosive silicic eruptions.