World Map › Michoacan-Guanajuato
Volcano
Michoacan-Guanajuato
Volcanic field · 3,860 m · Mexico
Michoacan-Guanajuato sits on the North American Plate, in a subduction zone. 11 eruptions are known since the end of the last ice age, the most recent in 1952. Its major eruptions caused at least 103 deaths.
This vast volcanic field in Michoacán and Guanajuato, in Mexico, includes more than a thousand small volcanoes. The youngest, Parícutin, was born on 20 February 1943 in the cornfield of a farmer, Dionisio Pulido.
For the first time scientists could follow the birth of a volcano from its very start. The cone grew more than 400 m until the eruption ended in 1952, and its lava buried two villages, of which only the church tower of San Juan Parangaricutiro remains.
- Elevation
- 3,860 m
- Type
- Volcanic field
- Tectonic Setting
- Subduction zone, continental crust
- Dominant Rock
- Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
- Plate
- North American Plate
- Country
- Mexico
- Last Eruption
- 1952
- Known Eruptions (Holocene)
- 11
- Max. Explosivity (VEI)
- 4
- Known Fatalities
- 103
Nearby Cities
Cities of more than 20,000 people within 100 km.
- 57 kmZamora215,000 people
- 58 kmUruapan265,000 people
- 60 kmMorelia644,000 people
- 95 kmIrapuato340,000 people
- 97 kmLa Barca35,000 people
Notable Eruptions
Eruptions that caused deaths or damage, or with an explosivity index of 4 and above (NOAA).
- 19431943 Eruption · VEI 4103 deaths
Eruption Timeline
Each bar is an eruption; its height shows its explosivity (VEI 0 to 8).
Eruption Deadly Eruption (NOAA) Uncertain Date
Sources : Global Volcanism Program, 2026. Volcanoes of the World (v. 5.4.0; 7 Aug 2026), Smithsonian Institution, doi:10.5479/si.GVP.VOTW5-2026.5.4 (volcano.si.edu) · NOAA NCEI · USGS · Wikidata