September 2, 1978 Eruption of Santa Maria
Santa Maria in Guatemala erupted on September 2, 1978 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. The eruption killed 1 person.
Where it erupted
Santa Maria, Guatemala, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- September 2, 1978
- Volcano
- Santa Maria, stratovolcano
- Country
- Guatemala
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
- Killed by
- Mudflows and lahars
- Location
- 14.757° N, 91.552° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
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.
Mudflow from breakup of ash and block dams on rivers killed 1.
Other significant eruptions of Santa Maria
More
Every eruption in 1978The 1900sSanta MariaEarthquakes near Santa MariaThis 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 4495.