El Chichón is the Mexican volcano whose 1982 eruption produced deadly pyroclastic flows and devastated its surroundings.
El Chichón erupted explosively on 28 March, 3 April, and 4 April 1982 in Chiapas, southern Mexico. The eruption destroyed the summit dome and generated pyroclastic flows that overwhelmed nearby settlements. About 2,000 people died, making it one of Mexico’s deadliest volcanic disasters of the twentieth century.
The eruption also injected sulfur dioxide and ash into the stratosphere. The resulting atmospheric aerosol spread widely and produced measurable short-term cooling. Because El Chichón was relatively little known before 1982, the event highlighted the danger posed by volcanoes that have long intervals between major eruptions.
El Chichón is distinct from Popocatépetl and Volcán de Colima, Mexico’s more frequently discussed active volcanoes. Its name is also written El Chichón or Chichonal. The volcano’s 1982 activity left a crater containing a lake and permanently altered the local landscape.