Thank you to Dr. Fred and Kathi Hilterman! With their generous support, GWB awarded its first volcano monitoring and early warning system project in El Salvador.
About the Project and Location
The Santa Ana volcanic complex is the second most active volcanic area in El Salvador. The complex has become a prime tourist destination because of its stunning views and picturesque crater lake. There are several thousands of visitors during prime holiday weeks. This boom in the tourist sector has brought economic benefits and growth to many of the surrounding communities.
The last major eruption in this area was on 1 October 2005, which produced a 14 km (8.6 miles) high plume and resulted in over ~15,000 residents’ evacuation. Prior to the 2005 Santa Ana eruption, Volcan Izalco — located 3.5 km (approx. 2 miles) south — erupted continuously between ~1770 and 1966. These major eruptions occurred before the recent economic boom, which arguably placed more people in danger. A large eruption without better monitoring and preparedness efforts could have devastating consequences.
The project team is working to address the primary need to establish a robust seismic monitoring system that can record and locate seismic events with high fidelity. Read more.
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