We are now about 110 miles north of the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border.
On our left is a huge mountain towering above Chinandega, Nicaragua.
To me it looks like an active volcano with a constant stream of smoke bellowing out the top. Debbie thinks what I see as "smoke" is actually clouds that magically form at the top of this mountain and nowhere else within hundreds of miles that can be seen.
Can someone with access to google, or google earth, or wikipedia please let us know if we are looking at an active volcano or not?? Leave a comment here and we'll get it by email.
thanks,
-Jim
PS. We are about 130 miles short of our destination now at 9:30am, anyway you look at it our average speeds bring us in at night. Not good. So...we are doing our best to slow down. Definitely not something that comes naturally to either of us.
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Volcán San Cristóbal is the highest volcano in Nicaragua at 1,745 m (5,725 ft). Located near to the northwest corner of the country, it forms a majestic backdrop to the town of Chichigalpa, Chinandega. It is also among the most active volcanos in Nicaragua, erupting frequently (if gently).
ReplyDeleteSan Cristóbal is part of a 5-member volcanic complex that bears the same name. El Chonco lies 4 km to the west, and Moyotepe 4 km to the north east. Joined to the volcano's eastern flank is Volcán Casita, which buried a village with a catastrophic landslide in 1998. The scars from said landslide are still visible today. Finally, La Pelona is located on the eastern end of the complex.
Bob beat me too it. I was even going to copy the same stuff from thewikipedia article. Great minds etc. ....
ReplyDeleteI'll just add this bit:
Eruptive history
* 1685: Erupted strongly enough to merit preservation in historical accounts.
* August 1919: Produced loud noises and light tremors that were felt in surrounding areas.
* May 1971: Produced bangs and explosions.
* March 1976: Produced a high, continuous column of smoke, several light tremors, and explosions that occurred every three minutes.
* December 1986: Marked expulsion of gases
* January 1987: Expelled large quantities of gas.
* May 1997: Entered into a new eruptive period, expelling gases, ash, and sand, and also producing light tremors.
* December 1999: Expelled gas, ash, and sand.
* May, August 2001: Reactivated.
* April 2006: Moderate phreatic eruption.
* July 2008: Rumbled with a series of small explosions, and expelled gas.
San Cristóbal remains quite active, continuously expelling copious amounts of gas and smoke. As recent as September 2009, it was reported that ash was falling in nearby towns