August 18, 1860 Eruption of Fuego

Name: August 18, 1860 Eruption of Fuego
Start: 1860-08-18
Location: Fuego, Guatemala

August 18, 1860 · VEI 2

Fuego in Guatemala erupted on August 18, 1860 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2.

Where it erupted

Fuego, Guatemala, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: August 18, 1860
Volcano: Fuego, stratovolcano
Country: Guatemala
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 2, moderate (eruption column 1 to 5 km)
Location: 14.473° N, 90.880° W

The toll

Damage: Limited (under about $1 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Eruptive Characteristics:

Central vent eruption,

Explosive eruption,

Lava flow(s),

Damage (land, property, etc.). (reference #2432)

Other significant eruptions of Fuego

Every eruption in 1860 The 1800s Fuego Earthquakes near Fuego This day in weather history

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 3559.