Chinameca (also known as El Pacayal) is a
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...
in central-eastern
El Salvador
El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
. It lies north of
San Miguel volcano and rises over the town of
Chinameca. The volcano is topped by a wide
caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...
known as Laguna Seca el Pacayal, and a
satellite cone
A parasitic cone (also adventive cone, satellite cone, satellitic cone or lateral cone) is the cone-shaped accumulation of volcanic material not part of the central vent of a volcano. It forms from eruptions from fractures on the flank of the ...
on the west side, Cerro el Limbo, rises higher than the caldera rim.
Fumarole
A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or another rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcani ...
s can be found on the north side, and it has been the site of a
geothermal Geothermal is related to energy and may refer to:
* Geothermal energy, useful energy generated and stored in the Earth
* Geothermal activity, the range of natural phenomena at or near the surface, associated with release of the Earth's internal he ...
exploration program.
[
]
See also
*List of volcanoes in El Salvador
This is a list of active and extinct volcanoes in El Salvador.
Volcanoes
See also
* Central America Volcanic Arc
* List of volcanoes in Guatemala
* List of volcanoes in Honduras
* List of volcanoes in Nicaragua
References
{{Cent ...
References
Mountains of El Salvador
Volcanoes of El Salvador
Stratovolcanoes of El Salvador
Calderas of Central America
North American 1000 m summits
{{ElSalvador-geo-stub