Chichon, El (Mexico): Recorded Eruptions and Historical Activity

El Chichon is a lava dome volcano located in Mexico, sitting at an elevation of 1,150 meters within a subduction zone and continental crust setting exceeding 25 kilometers in thickness. According to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, the volcano has a confirmed record of 13 eruptions spanning from deep antiquity into the 20th century. The earliest recorded eruption in the official database began around 6510 BCE, while the latest confirmed eruption started on March 28, 1982, and ended on September 11, 1982.

Understanding the Eruption History and Timeline

The historical and prehistoric activity of El Chichon has been documented using a combination of calibrated radiocarbon isotopic dating techniques and direct observational reporting. Because many of these events occurred centuries or millennia ago, older entries feature varying degrees of start-year uncertainty. For instance, the earliest recorded event carries a start-year uncertainty of 75 years, while other prehistoric records carry uncertainties ranging up to 200 years.

Across the 13 confirmed eruptions in the official record, activity is distributed across multiple centuries spanning BCE and CE eras. The collection includes events identified in the 21st century BCE, 14th century BCE, 7th century BCE, 1st century BCE, 66th century BCE, 2nd century CE, 5th century CE, 6th century CE, 8th century CE, 11th or 12th centuries, and the 20th century CE. Not all eruptions in the collection include assigned Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) values, but six eruptions in the record feature recorded VEI measurements.

Largest Recorded Eruptions

The largest recorded Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) assigned to an eruption at El Chichon is 5.0. This maximum intensity is associated with the 1982 eruption sequence, which began on March 28, 1982, and concluded on September 11, 1982, as recorded through observational reporting. Earlier events in the chronology include moderate-to-large explosive episodes, such as a VEI 4.0 eruption recorded with a start date around 1190 CE and a start-year uncertainty of 150 years.