Masaya Volcano

Nicaragua's Gateway to the Underworld

Elevation

594 m

Last Eruption

2015–present

Type

Caldera

Country

Nicaragua

Location

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Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment

Primary Hazards

Pyroclastic flows and surges
Large explosive eruptions (VEI 4+)
Ash fall and tephra deposits
Lahars and debris flows

Risk Level

Population at RiskLow

Infrastructure RiskHigh

Aviation RiskSignificant

Geological Composition & Structure

Rock Types

Primary

Unknown

Silica Content

Varied composition

Tectonic Setting

Unknown

Intraplate setting with hotspot or regional volcanic activity.

Age & Formation

Epoch

Unknown

Evidence

Unknown

Eruption Statistics & Analysis

Metric	Value	Global Ranking	Significance
Total Recorded Eruptions	Unknown	Low	Moderately active volcano
Maximum VEI	VEI Unknown	Minor	Local impact potential
Recent Activity	11 years ago	Recent	Recently active

Monitoring & Alert Status

Monitoring Networks

Global Volcanism Program

International eruption database

Current Status

Watch

Dormant but monitored. Capable of renewed activity.

Authority Sources

Smithsonian GVP

Official volcano database

Related Volcanoes

All Nicaragua Volcanoes

Darya Luganskaya

via Unsplash

People on a cliff overlooking a misty valley at sunset.

Darya Luganskaya

via Unsplash

Dramatic sunset over a vast mountain canyon vista

Darya Luganskaya

via Unsplash

Other Volcanoes in Nicaragua

Concepción
Stratovolcano
Momotombo
Stratovolcano
San Cristóbal
Stratovolcano
Telica
Stratovolcano complex

Interesting Facts

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Masaya produced one of the largest known basaltic Plinian eruptions in the geological record — a VEI 6 event around 4050 BCE that ejected approximately 8 km³ of tephra, a style of eruption considered extremely rare for basaltic magma.

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In 1529, Friar Blas del Castillo lowered himself into Masaya's crater with a metal pot to collect what the Spanish believed was molten gold, making it one of the earliest documented volcanic sampling attempts in the Americas.

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Masaya hosts one of roughly six to eight persistent lava lakes currently active on Earth, alongside Nyiragongo, Erta Ale, and Kīlauea.

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The 1670 lava flow from Nindirí crater overtopped the northern caldera rim — the only time in recorded history that lava has breached Masaya's 300-meter-high caldera walls.

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A colony of green parakeets (Aratinga strenua) nests inside the lava tube caves of Masaya's caldera — one of the only known bird populations that breeds within an active volcanic crater.

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Masaya emits between 500 and 2,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide per day during typical activity, making it one of the strongest continuous volcanic gas sources in the Western Hemisphere.

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Spanish conquistadors named the crater 'La Boca del Infierno' (The Mouth of Hell) and erected a cross at the rim to exorcise what they believed were demonic forces — a cross still stands on the crater edge today.

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Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya, established in 1979, was the first national park in Nicaragua and one of the few places in the world where visitors can drive to within meters of an active volcanic crater.

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Masaya's caldera is unusually large for a basaltic system — measuring 6 × 11 km — comparable in size to many silicic calderas despite being composed of far less viscous magma.

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The Santiago crater, Masaya's currently active vent, was only created during the 1772 eruption — making the most famous feature of the volcano just 253 years old.

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Masaya sits just 20 km from Managua, the capital of Nicaragua (population ~1.5 million), making it one of the closest active volcanic vents to a major city anywhere in the world.

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NASA and USGS scientists have used Masaya as a natural calibration laboratory for satellite-based volcanic gas detection instruments due to its consistent, measurable SO₂ plume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Masaya Volcano currently active?

Yes, Masaya is currently active and in an ongoing eruption. A lava lake has been visible in the Santiago crater since December 2015, making it one of the longest-sustained lava lake episodes in the volcano's recorded history. The volcano is continuously monitored by INETER, Nicaragua's territorial studies institute, which tracks seismicity, gas emissions, and lava lake behavior. Masaya has erupted 40 times in the past 6,000 years, with particularly frequent activity since the mid-19th century. Volcanologists classify it as one of the most persistently active volcanoes in Central America, and it currently hosts one of only a handful of stable lava lakes on Earth.

Can you see the lava lake at Masaya?

Yes, Masaya is one of the most accessible places in the world to see an active lava lake. The Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya offers evening visiting hours specifically for lava lake viewing — after dark, the incandescent glow of the molten basalt is clearly visible from the crater rim viewing platform, located just meters from the parking area. A paved road runs from the park entrance directly to the crater rim, making it one of the few active volcanoes accessible without any hiking. The park is located approximately 23 km (30 minutes by car) from Managua. Entry costs approximately $10 USD for foreign visitors. Access may be temporarily restricted when sulfur dioxide emissions are particularly high.

How far is Masaya Volcano from Managua?

Masaya Volcano is approximately 20 km (12 mi) southeast of central Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua. The drive takes roughly 30 minutes via the paved Managua–Granada highway. This extreme proximity to a major metropolitan area — home to approximately 1.5 million people — makes Masaya one of the closest active volcanic vents to a national capital anywhere in the world. The city of Masaya, with a population of around 170,000, sits even closer, just south of the caldera.

Is Masaya Volcano dangerous?

Masaya poses a real but complex set of hazards. Its most persistent danger is chronic volcanic gas emission — the volcano releases 500 to 2,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide daily, which damages crops, corrodes infrastructure, and poses respiratory health risks for downwind communities. The prehistoric record reveals a far more alarming potential: a VEI 6 basaltic Plinian eruption approximately 6,000 years ago demonstrates that Masaya is capable of catastrophic explosive activity that would devastate the Managua metropolitan area. The 1670 eruption also showed that lava flows can overtop the caldera walls. Phreatic explosions, which have thrown ballistic projectiles to the crater rim, are another recurring hazard. While typical modern eruptions are low-explosivity, the volcano's proximity to 1.5 million people keeps it firmly on the list of Central America's highest-risk volcanic systems.

What type of volcano is Masaya?

Masaya is classified as a basaltic caldera — a broad, low-profile volcanic depression formed by collapse following major eruptions. It sits within the larger Pleistocene Las Sierras caldera, creating a nested caldera structure. The active complex consists of multiple cones and craters (Nindirí, Masaya, Santiago, and San Pedro) built along a 4-km-diameter ring fracture system, along with approximately 40 cinder cones scattered across the caldera floor. Unlike typical subduction zone stratovolcanoes that erupt viscous, silica-rich magma, Masaya produces fluid basalt and picro-basalt — unusually mafic compositions for a convergent plate boundary. This basaltic chemistry is what enables the formation of its long-lived lava lake.

When did Masaya last erupt?

Masaya has been in a continuous eruptive state since October 2015, when activity intensified and a lava lake appeared in Santiago crater in December of that year. This lava lake has persisted, with fluctuations, through to the present (2025), making it a decade-long eruption. Prior to this ongoing episode, Masaya experienced frequent low-level eruptions in 2008, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2001, and throughout the 1990s — the volcano has been in an almost semi-permanent state of unrest for the past several decades. Its typical modern activity consists of Strombolian eruptions, gas emission, and lava lake formation within Santiago crater.

What is the biggest eruption Masaya has ever had?

The largest known eruption of Masaya was a VEI 6 basaltic Plinian eruption that occurred approximately 6,050 years ago (~4050 BCE). This eruption ejected an estimated 8 km³ of tephra and triggered the collapse that formed the modern Masaya caldera. It is one of the largest known basaltic Plinian eruptions in the global geological record — a type of eruption considered extremely rare for low-viscosity basaltic magma. For comparison, this is the same VEI as the 1883 eruption of Krakatau and significantly larger than any eruption Masaya has produced in historical times. Two additional VEI 5 eruptions occurred around 170 BCE and 150 CE.

Why do parakeets live in Masaya Volcano?

A colony of Pacific parakeets (Aratinga strenua), commonly called green parakeets, nests inside lava tube caves on the caldera floor of Masaya Volcano. This is one of the only documented cases of birds breeding within an active volcanic environment. The parakeets appear to have adapted to the elevated temperatures and gas concentrations inside the tubes, which may offer protection from predators. The lava tubes, formed by previous eruptions, provide stable, sheltered cavities. Visitors can observe the parakeets along the Sendero de las Coyotas trail in Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya. The birds have become an emblematic species of the park and a secondary tourist attraction alongside the lava lake.

How tall is Masaya Volcano?

Masaya's highest point reaches 594 m (1,949 ft) above sea level, making it one of the lowest-elevation active volcanoes in Central America. However, this figure is somewhat misleading because Masaya is not a towering peak but a broad, low-profile caldera. The caldera floor sits well below the rim, and the active Santiago crater drops a further 200+ meters below the floor. The caldera walls rise up to 300 m above the surrounding lowlands. Masaya's low elevation is a consequence of its caldera morphology — unlike a stratovolcano that builds height through layered eruptions, Masaya's formative eruptions involved collapse rather than construction.

How often does Masaya erupt?

Masaya is one of the most frequently erupting volcanoes in the Americas. It has produced 40 recorded eruptions over approximately 6,000 years, but the frequency has increased dramatically in the modern era: since 1852, the volcano has erupted at least 28 times, averaging roughly one eruption every 6 years. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, eruptions occurred almost annually from the mid-1990s through the 2000s. The current eruptive episode has been continuous since 2015. Much of this frequent activity is low-level — Strombolian eruptions, gas emission episodes, and lava lake formation — rather than major explosive events.