Caught on February 24, 2023, this satellite image shows El Salvadors capital, San Salvador, which sits in the middle of a volcanic chain on Central Americas Pacific shoreline. The greater urban location of San Salvador stretches from the base of the San Salvador stratovolcano to the west to Lake Ilopango, a volcanic caldera, to the east. Abutting the city of San Salvador, the volcano of the exact same name rises to an elevation of 1,900 meters (6,200 feet). East of the city, Lake Ilopango is one of El Salvadors largest lakes and the remnant of a huge eruption dating back to Mayan times. The city of San Salvador ended up being the capital of El Salvador in 1839.
El Salvadors Dynamic Geology
The dynamic geology owes to its position along a subduction zone, where the Cocos Plate plunges under the Caribbean Plate and generates the Central American Volcanic Arc. Though just about the size of New Jersey, the country of El Salvador is home to 20 volcanoes that have actually been active in the previous roughly 10,000 years. The majority of have been relatively peaceful in current history. The San Miguel volcano, to the east of this image, is the most active and has actually erupted consistently throughout the past a number of centuries, including most recently in May 2023.
Geological and historic Significance of San Salvador
Abutting the city of San Salvador, the volcano of the exact same name increases to an elevation of 1,900 meters (6,200 feet). When it last appeared, in 1917, it sent a lava flow streaming northward from a vent on its flank. A magnitude 6.3 earthquake centered at the volcano preceded the eruption by 35 minutes. Other powerful and destructive earthquakes have actually struck the city, consisting of in 1965, 1986, and 2001. Few of the citys older buildings such as its colonial cathedrals stay today.
East of the city, Lake Ilopango is one of El Salvadors biggest lakes and the residue of a massive eruption going back to Mayan times. In a 2020 study, a group of scientists concluded that the caldera-forming eruption happened around the year 431 C.E. and was 50 times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. It was formerly thought that, due to its voluminous emissions, the Ilopango eruption was accountable for an anomalously cold years in the Northern Hemisphere around 540 C.E. Additional proof, such as from ice cores, has actually improved the eruption date to significantly earlier than the cold spell.
San Salvador: The Urban Heart of El Salvador
The city of San Salvador ended up being the capital of El Salvador in 1839. Today, a considerable portion of the countrys population– approximately 1.1 of 6.6 million individuals– lives in its city core. El Salvador claimed its self-reliance from Spain in 1821 and celebrates its Independence Day on September 15 each year. That date aligns with Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated in the United States from September 15 to October 15.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, utilizing Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Caught on February 24, 2023, this satellite image reveals El Salvadors capital, San Salvador, which sits in the middle of a volcanic chain on Central Americas Pacific coastline. Its geology boasts 20 volcanoes active in the past 10,000 years, and its history is marked by significant eruptions and earthquakes. The city, established as the capital in 1839, is home to a significant part of the countrys population.
The cultural and political center of El Salvador lies along the Central American Volcanic Arc.
Along the Pacific shoreline of Central America, a string of volcanoes runs for more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from Guatemala to Panama. In El Salvador, the capital city of San Salvador beings in line with this chain of cones and calderas.
This image shows the citys distinct setting among volcanic features. The higher city location of San Salvador extends from the base of the San Salvador stratovolcano to the west to Lake Ilopango, a volcanic caldera, to the east. The image was acquired by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 on February 24, 2023.