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Open-File Report 01-432

Lahar Hazards at Agua Volcano, Guatemala

By S.P. Schilling, J.W. Vallance, O. Matías, and M.M Howell

Thumbnail of and link to report PDF (492 kB)Summary

At 3760 m, Agua volcano towers more than 3500 m above the Pacific coastal plain to the south and 2000 m above the Guatemalan highlands to the north. The volcano is within 5 to 10 kilometers (km) of Antigua, Guatemala and several other large towns situated on its northern apron. These towns have a combined population of nearly 100,000. It is within about 20 km of Escuintla (population, ca. 100,000) to the south. Though the volcano has not been active in historical time, or about the last 500 years, it has the potential to produce debris flows (watery flows of mud, rock, and debris—also known as lahars when they occur on a volcano) that could inundate these nearby populated areas.

First posted November 20, 2001

For additional information:
Contact CVO 
Volcano Science Center, Cascades Volcano Observatory 
U.S. Geological Survey 
1300 SE Cardinal Court, Building 10, Suite 100 
Vancouver, WA 98683-9589

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Suggested citation:

Schilling, S.P., Vallance, J.W., Matías, O., and Howell, M.M, 2001, Lahar Hazards at Agua Volcano, Guatemala: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 01-432, 16 pp, 1 plate, https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2001/0432/.



Contents

Introduction

Debris Avalanches, Landslides, and Lahars

Future Landslides and Lahars at Agua Volcano

Lahar-Hazard-Zonation Map

Hazard Forecasts and Warnings

Protecting Communities and Citizens from Lahar Hazards

References

Additional Suggested Reading

One plate


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