The Sabancaya volcano, is active and It’s a stratovolcano type, at 5,976 meters above sea level, located in the Western Andes mountain range, in the south of Peru. In the upper parts of the left bank of the Colca river valley, department of Arequipa.
The Sabancaya is part of a volcanic complex that includes two other volcanoes: the Ampato and the Hualca Hualca. The most recent eruptive activity at the volcano, produced in July 2013, deposited ash on the top of the volcano and the northeast of its flank. The name Sabancaya means “tongue of fire” in Quechua.
It is considered part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, one of the three distinct volcanic belts of the Andes. The Central Volcanic Zone includes a number of volcanoes, some of which like Huaynaputina have had large eruptions and others such as Sabancaya and Ubinas have been active in historical time. Sabancaya forms a volcanic complex together with Hualca Hualca to the north and Ampato to the south and has erupted andesite and dacite. It is covered by a small ice cap which leads to a risk of lahars during eruptions.
Sabancaya has generated numerous long lava flows especially during the early Holocene, while activity in the later Holocene has been more explosive. Historical reports indicate eruptions during the 18th century. The volcano returned to activity in 1986, culminating in a large eruption in 1990. Since then it has been continuously active with the emission of ash and gas.
In the area of influence of the Sabancaya volcano there is a vulnerable population and infrastructure. In the Colca Valley, located just over 20 km to the north, there are about 20 populated centers, among which, due to their proximity to the volcano, the towns of Chivay, Yanque, Achoma, Maca, Ichupampa, Lari, Madrigal, Pinchollo and Cabanaconde.
The main economic activity of the inhabitants is the agriculture, however in recent years the Colca has become one of the most important tourist destinations in Peru. All of these economic activities could be affected by declines in tephra and secondary lahars. On the other hand, near the Sabancaya volcano, is the channel of the “Majes I” project, which provides water to the Majes-Siguas agricultural complex, the access roads to the Colca valley and canyon, as well as the Socabaya-transmission line. Mantaro, which is part of the national interconnected system, and provides energy to all of southern Peru.
A further increase of fumarolic activity was observed in 2016, when new fumaroles appeared and sulfur flux increased to 6,000 tonnes per day. Ash eruptions have occurred since 6 November 2016, with an eruption column 3 km high five days later.
This renewed activity was accompanied by ground uplift at Hualca Hualca north of Sabancaya, indicating the role of a shared magmatic system between the two volcanoes. A lava dome began to grow in 2017 within the crater, with unsteady explosive activity and occasional seismic swarms. In early 2020 there were about eight explosions every day.
A persistent gas plume lies above the volcano and repeated emissions of ash have happened, resulting in several alerts for the local population