Acatenango Facts for Kids

For the Municipality, see Acatenango, Chimaltenango. For the racehorse, see Acatenango (horse).

Quick facts for kids Acatenango
Volcán de Fuego (left) and Acatenango (right)
Highest point
Elevation	3,976 m (13,045 ft)
Prominence	1,835 m (6,020 ft)
Geography
Acatenango Location in Guatemala
Parent range	Sierra Madre
Geology
Age of rock	200 Kyr
Mountain type	Stratovolcano
Volcanic arc	Central America Volcanic Arc
Last eruption	November to December 1972

Acatenango is a large stratovolcano in Guatemala. It is located very close to the city of Antigua. This volcano has two main peaks. They are called Pico Mayor (which means "Highest Peak") and Yepocapa. Yepocapa is 3,880 meters (12,730 feet) tall. It is also known as Tres Hermanas, meaning "Three Sisters." Acatenango is connected to another volcano, Volcán de Fuego. Together, these two volcanoes form a large group called La Horqueta.

What is Acatenango?
When Did Acatenango Erupt?
Acatenango and Coffee
Gallery
Images for kids
See also

What is Acatenango?

The Fuego-Acatenango area is a huge group of volcanoes. It has at least five openings where lava and ash can come out. These openings are lined up from north to south. This volcanic chain has been active for over 200,000 years!

This massive volcano group stands very tall. It rises more than 3,500 meters (about 11,500 feet) above the Pacific coast. It also towers 2,000 meters (about 6,500 feet) above the Guatemalan Highlands. This volcano complex is made of parts from many past eruptions. Sometimes, these parts have collapsed. When they collapsed, they formed huge landslides of rock and debris. The biggest of these landslides traveled over 50 kilometers (31 miles). It covered more than 300 square kilometers (116 square miles) of land.

When Did Acatenango Erupt?

Acatenango volcano has erupted in modern times. The only known eruptions happened in the 20th century. These were between 1924 and 1927. They came from just north of the highest peak, Pico Mayor. Another eruption happened in December 1972. This one came from the area between Yepocapa and Pico Mayor.

These eruptions were "phreatic explosions." This means they were caused by steam and gas, not new lava. They shot out hot rocks called "volcanic bombs." These bombs fell near the top of the volcano. Fine ash also fell up to 25 kilometers (15 miles) away.

In ancient times, Acatenango had very powerful eruptions. These eruptions created widespread ash falls. They also produced hot, fast-moving flows of gas and rock. These are called "pyroclastic flows." There were also flows of hot, melted rock called "lava flows." Many eruptions have happened over the last 80,000 years. The most recent big eruptions were 1,900 years ago and 2,300 years ago. Another big one happened about 5,000 years ago. If such large eruptions happened again, many people and buildings would be in danger.

Acatenango and Coffee

The Acatenango Valley is a special place for growing coffee. It is a recognized coffee-producing region by Anacafé, a coffee organization in Guatemala.