The Central American Volcanic Arc

I have seen both a continental volcanic arc (the Cascade Arc in Washington) and an island arc (the Caribbean Lesser Antilles) before, but the arc in Nicaragua is unique due to it's density. Standing on top of a volcano, you can see the arc stretching out in both directions to the horizon.

Rota, in foreground, with the actively degassing Telica and San Cristobal barely visible through the haze behind and to the left of Rota.  Photo taken from Cerro Negro looking northwest.

   

I've also seen and climbed restless volcanoes before: St. Helens, Vesuvius, and Yellowstone. But again, the density of active and potentially active volcanic centers in Nicaragua is impressive. Telica, San Cristobal, and Masaya all produce a continuous gas plume and Cerro Negro, last active in 1999, has consistently erupted every decade or two since it began in 1850. Apoyeque frequently has seismic swarms, Momotombo (my favorite volcano name in the country) erupted in 1905, and Concepcion erupted in 2009-2011.

 The consistency of activity and the relative safety of travel in the country makes me confident I will return to study the volcanoes there. It's a great place to do it, and a lot cheaper than traveling to Indonesia or Kamchatka, where the volcano density and activity is similar.