July 19, 1990 Eruption of Santa Maria
Santa Maria in Guatemala erupted on July 19, 1990 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. The eruption killed 4 people.
Where it erupted
Santa Maria, Guatemala, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- July 19, 1990
- Volcano
- Santa Maria, stratovolcano
- Country
- Guatemala
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
- Killed by
- Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts)
- Location
- 14.757° N, 91.552° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 4
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.
Four hikers on a government-sponsored filming expedition were killed by explosions while on the E rim of the 1902 crater.
Other significant eruptions of Santa Maria
More
Every eruption in 1990The 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 4496.