Coordinated Rapid Response to the 2015-16 Eruption of Volcan Momotombo, Nicaragua

Volcán Momotombo, Nicaragua, is a basaltic to basaltic-andesite stratovolcano located in the active Central American Volcanic Arc. It has had 14 previous historic eruptions, including one in 1905. Prior to the 2015-2016 eruption onset, seismic swarms had been occurring beneath Momotombo for over a year, with the last precursory swarm beginning on November 24, 2015. This swarm included an M4. 7 earthquake, and culminated in gas and ash eruptions beginning on December 1, 2015. By the evening of December 1, Momotombo was in strombolian eruption with columns to~ 1 km altitude and lava flowing down the northern flank of the volcano in a channel formed during the 1905 eruption. By December 5, the effusive phase of the eruption had ended and a new phase of explosive activity began. Over the following four months, discrete explosive events were recorded and observed using seismic data and …