Tolima, Nevado del (Colombia): Recorded Eruptions and Historical Activity

Nevado del Tolima is a stratovolcano located in Colombia within a subduction zone and continental crust setting thicker than 25 kilometers. Standing at an elevation of 5,215 meters at coordinates 4.658° N, -75.33° W, the volcano has a recorded history of confirmed eruptions spanning thousands of years, with the earliest recorded event dating back to 7800 BCE.

Overview of Eruption History

According to official records from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, Nevado del Tolima features 12 confirmed eruptions in its recorded catalog. These events vary in scale, methodology, and Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) ratings, utilizing evidence methods ranging from isotopic carbon-14 dating (uncalibrated and calibrated) to direct historical observations.

The largest recorded eruption in the available data reached a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 5.0, which occurred around 1990 BCE with a start year uncertainty of 200 years. Out of the 12 confirmed eruptions, 9 include VEI observations. The latest recorded eruption in the official database started on March 16, 1943, with a VEI of 2.0.

Chronology of Recorded Activity by Century

Activity at Nevado del Tolima is distributed across multiple centuries and millennia BCE and CE. The confirmed eruption count across various centuries includes:

• 78th century BCE: 1 eruption (starting around 7800 BCE with a 300-year uncertainty, VEI 4.0)
• 54th century BCE: 1 eruption
• 52nd century BCE: 1 eruption
• 35th century BCE: 1 eruption (starting around 3500 BCE with a 300-year uncertainty)
• 20th century BCE: 1 eruption (starting around 1990 BCE with a 200-year uncertainty, VEI 5.0)
• 7th century BCE: 1 eruption
• 2nd century BCE: 1 eruption (starting around 200 BCE with a 200-year uncertainty, VEI 3.0)
• 3rd century CE: 1 eruption
• 19th century CE: 3 eruptions
• 20th century CE: 1 eruption (including the March 16, 1943, reported observation)