This photo is from Wiki on May 28, 2010, attributed to the USGS from the site http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard/slideset/28/28_576_slide.shtmlAccording to CNN, Pacaya Volcano, 15 miles south of Guatemala City, began erupting at 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 27. Two villagers and a reporter from a CNN affiliate were killed in the initial eruption, crushed by rocks spewed from the volcano. 1800 people have been evacuated, and the airport in Guatemala City is closed as of Friday. Pacaya was dormant for a century until 1965, and has been active since then. The government has declared a 15 day state of emergency.
Pacaya is a young volcano, dated back to 23,000 years. It lies on the edge of an older larger caldera formed at least 300,000 years ago. It has erupted at least 23 times since the Spanish colonization in the 15th century. It is one of the many Central American volcanoes associated with the subduction of the Cocos Plate beneath the Caribbean Plate.
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