El Chichón, also referred to as El Chichonal, is a volcano with a daunting history. In 1982, a series of eruptions in north-western Chiapas, Mexico, killed near 2,000 people because it completely destroyed villages, with tens of hundreds more being displaced. Dense clouds of ash covered an eight-kilometre radius, blanketing the land as much as 40cm in depth, leading to expansive areas of countryside being devastated, including crops and cattle ranches. The eruption also created a 1km-wide crater which incorporates an acidic crater lake. (Picture: Getty)
And it doesn’t stop there. The economic damage was said to have exceeded $117 million (in 1999 dollars) and this doesn’t even consider the worldwide impact. NASA reported that the eruption injected an enormous amount of fabric into the stratosphere, which caused a knock-on effect for the worldwide temperature, a drop which was estimated at 0.5 °C. One among the previous eruptions of this volcano has been theorised by a 2017 research paper to have contributed to the downfall of the Mayan people, giving it the title of a ‘civilisation-ending’ threat. So when there have been fears that the volcano was starting to stir again in 2025, it made sense that folks were anxious. (Picture: Getty) (Picture: Getty)
Volcanologists charged with monitoring the deadly volcano began to notice changes between June and August of 2025. A rise in seismic activity was recorded at El Chichón, sparking worries over possible imminent eruptions. The volcano could be undoubtedly dangerous were it to erupt. Unam Global reports it could cause a Plinian-type event, a highly explosive volcanic eruption characterised by a formation of a column of gas and ash that may reach heights of as much as 20-30 kilometers. (Picture: Getty Images)
So as to add to the complications of monitoring its activity, it’s reportedly now not possible to descend into the crater of the volcano safely. The disturbed ground, the presence of gases, and the high temperatures pose direct risks, because the gases may cause issues from dizziness to respiratory damage, so access to the crater stays strictly prohibited. (Picture: Getty)
In response to the heightened activity, specialists from various institutions together with researchers in geology, seismology, geochemistry, geodesy and civil protection, traveled to the location to evaluate the situation based on scientific measurements and observations. Reports had indicated the volcano was moving away from its dormant state and right into a period of increased activity. Dr. Patricia Jácome Paz gave the lecture The Chichón Volcano: Dynamics and Recent Observations wherein she explained the volcano’s current state. (Picture: Getty Images)
She indicated that the activity currently exhibited by Chichón is hydrothermal and limited to the crater, with the potential for explosions attributable to superheated water vapor. Though that is potentially an indication that the volcano is switching from a dormant state, scientists have said such emissions are common in energetic hydrothermal systems and don’t necessarily point to an imminent eruption. (Picture: Getty Images)
Unam Global reports that, for now, there is no such thing as a evidence that fresh magma is rising to the surface, so the potential for a big eruption, just like the one in 1982 for instance, is taken into account minimal. Dr. Patricia Jácome Paz, a part of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, explained that each the Secretariat and the Institute of Geophysics of UNAM have developed material to advertise understanding of risks and combat rising fears a couple of potential eruptions. Also they are using technologies resembling drones and distant sensing systems to observe the situation safely. (Picture: Getty Images)
News Updates
Stay on top of the headlines with each day email updates.