Barcena

Geography & Climate

Barcena is located in Mexico, within the Mathematicians Ridge Volcanic Province of the broader Eastern Pacific Volcanic Regions. Situated at 19.30° N, 110.82° W in the Northern Hemisphere, the volcano lies within a tropical climate zone. At just 332 meters above sea level, Barcena is a relatively low-elevation volcanic feature. Despite its modest height, it remains an active geological formation with the same underlying magmatic processes as its taller counterparts. The volcanic landform is characterized as a minor, which describes the physical shape and structure of the volcanic edifice as observed from the surface.

Geological Context

Barcena is situated along a rift zone, where tectonic plates are pulling apart. As the crust thins and fractures, magma rises to fill the gap, creating volcanic activity. Rift volcanism typically produces more fluid lava flows rather than explosive blasts, which means communities near Barcena in Mexico generally face slower-moving hazards like lava flows and ground fissures rather than sudden pyroclastic events. However, rift volcanoes can still generate significant ash emissions and gas releases that affect local air quality. The dominant rock type is trachyte / trachydacite, an intermediate to silica-rich volcanic rock. This composition typically produces more viscous magma, leading to more explosive eruptions with ash columns and pyroclastic flows. Andesitic and dacitic magmas build pressure before erupting, which is why volcanoes with this rock chemistry are often associated with Plinian-style eruptions that can send ash tens of kilometers into the atmosphere and disrupt aviation across entire regions.

Eruption History Summary

Barcena has 1 recorded eruption in the geological database, spanning from 1952 CE to 1952 CE. The most powerful recorded event was a severe eruption capable of regional ash fall and pyroclastic flows in 1952 CE, reaching VEI 3 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. The most recent eruption in 1952 CE places this volcano within the modern era of volcanological observation.

Significance

With a maximum recorded VEI of 3, Barcena has produced eruptions capable of generating pyroclastic flows and significant ash fall in the surrounding area. While not among the largest eruptions globally, VEI 3 events pose serious hazards to local populations and can disrupt regional air travel. Given its recent activity, Barcena is closely monitored by geological survey organizations to provide early warning of future unrest.

GVP Reference Summary

Volcán Bárcena, formed by eruptions during 1952-53, is the most prominent feature of Isla San Benedicto, the NE-most of the Revillagigedo Islands, 350 km south of the tip of Baja California. San Benedicto island, elongated in a NE-SW direction, contains a series of Pleistocene trachytic lava domes at the north end. The southern end of the 4.5-km-long island is formed by Bárcena and Montículo Cinerítico, a smaller tephra cone that preceded and was largely overtopped by Bárcena. Montículo Cinerítico may also have been constructed during the past few hundred years and formed the high point of the island prior to the formation of Bárcena. Growth of the 300-m-high Bárcena tephra cone beginning in August 1952 was accompanied by strong explosive eruptions and pyroclastic flows. The eruption concluded the following year with the emplacement of two small lava domes in the crater and extrusion of a prominent coastal lava delta at the SE base of the cone.

— Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program