Santa Ana Volcano facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Santa Ana Volcano |
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,381 m (7,812 ft) |
| Geography | |
 Santa Ana Volcano
Location in El Salvador
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| Location | El Salvador |
| Parent range | Cordillera de Apaneca |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
| Last eruption | 2005 |
The Santa Ana Volcano, also known as Ilamatepec, is a very large volcano in El Salvador. It is the highest volcano in the country, standing at 2,381 meters (about 7,812 feet) above sea level. You can find it in the Santa Ana department, west of the Coatepeque Caldera.
This volcano is a type called a stratovolcano. This means it's a tall, cone-shaped volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, ash, and rocks.
Did you know this volcano inspired a famous story? It was one of the active volcanoes in the book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. He based it on his life with his Salvadoran wife, Consuelo de Saint Exupéry, who was the inspiration for The Rose in the story.
What is Santa Ana Volcano Like?
The top of Santa Ana Volcano is special. It has four calderas and volcanic craters, one inside the other. The very center has a small crater lake.
Long, long ago, the top of the volcano collapsed. This caused a huge landslide of rocks and dirt. This landslide reached all the way to the Pacific Ocean! It even helped form the Acajutla Peninsula. Over time, new eruptions have rebuilt the volcano.
Past Eruptions
Santa Ana Volcano has erupted many times since the 1500s. Some eruptions happened at the very top. Others came from smaller vents on its sides, like the San Marcelino vents.
In 1722, the San Marcelino vents erupted. Lava flowed for 11 kilometers (about 7 miles) and destroyed a village.
The volcano erupted more recently in October 2005. This eruption caused rocks the size of cars to fly over 1.5 kilometers (about 1 mile) away. Sadly, it killed at least two people and injured seven. Many people had to leave their homes. This eruption also added to the damage caused by Hurricane Stan. Before 2005, the last eruption was in 1904.
Weather Around the Volcano
The side of the volcano that faces northeast gets a lot of rain in the summer. The climate here is called a subtropical highland climate. This means it's usually mild, not too hot or too cold.
| Climate data for Santa Ana, Volcano; 13.9 N, 89.6 W, altitude : 1771 m | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19.3 (66.7) |
20.6 (69.1) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.7 (72.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
20.9 (69.6) |
20.0 (68.0) |
19.2 (66.6) |
18.9 (66.0) |
21.1 (69.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 14.7 (58.5) |
15.3 (59.5) |
17.0 (62.6) |
17.7 (63.9) |
17.9 (64.2) |
17.2 (63.0) |
17.1 (62.8) |
17.1 (62.8) |
16.9 (62.4) |
16.2 (61.2) |
15.2 (59.4) |
14.7 (58.5) |
16.4 (61.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 11.2 (52.2) |
11.6 (52.9) |
12.8 (55.0) |
13.9 (57.0) |
14.6 (58.3) |
14.3 (57.7) |
14.0 (57.2) |
14.0 (57.2) |
14.2 (57.6) |
13.6 (56.5) |
12.7 (54.9) |
11.8 (53.2) |
13.2 (55.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 8 (0.3) |
5 (0.2) |
19 (0.7) |
64 (2.5) |
223 (8.8) |
427 (16.8) |
417 (16.4) |
393 (15.5) |
452 (17.8) |
208 (8.2) |
48 (1.9) |
10 (0.4) |
2,274 (89.5) |
| Source: HKO | |||||||||||||
More to Explore
In Spanish: Volcán Ilamatepec para niños
- List of volcanoes in El Salvador
- List of stratovolcanoes
