Santa Ana (El Salvador): Recorded Eruptions and Historical Activity

Santa Ana is a stratovolcano located in El Salvador at a tectonic subduction zone in continental crust, reaching an elevation of 2,381 meters. According to official records from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, the volcano has a confirmed record of 13 eruptions spanning nearly five centuries, with the earliest recorded eruption beginning on December 31, 1521 CE, and the latest confirmed eruption starting on June 16, 2005 CE.

Overview of Recorded Activity

The historical record for Santa Ana documents 13 confirmed eruptions. All documented eruptions in the collection rely on reported observations. Across the complete confirmed eruption record, the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI)—a relative measure of the explosiveness of volcanic eruptions—reaches a maximum recorded value of 3.0, with 12 eruptions having associated VEI observations.

Historical eruptions are distributed across multiple centuries, reflecting intermittent activity rather than a continuous eruption period. The confirmed eruptions include events in the 16th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries CE.

Century-by-Century Distribution

The 13 confirmed eruptions are distributed across the centuries as follows:

• 16th Century CE: 4 eruptions (including events starting in 1521 CE and 1576 CE)
• 18th Century CE: 2 eruptions
• 19th Century CE: 4 eruptions (including events in 1874 CE and 1884 CE)
• 20th Century CE: 2 eruptions
• 21st Century CE: 1 eruption (starting on June 16, 2005 CE)

Latest Confirmed Eruption

The most recent confirmed eruption in the official record began on June 16, 2005 CE, and ended on October 1, 2005 CE, carrying a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 3.0. As recorded in the source profile data, the last known eruption year is 2005.