Lake Atitlán with Volcanoes Atitlán and Toliman
April 14, 2007
Provided by: Linda Bruce
Summary authors & editors: Linda Bruce
This photo, from March 2003, shows Lake Atitlán in the highlands of Guatemala. It is the deepest lake in Central America (220 m avg depth; 342 m max) and is perhaps one of the most beautiful in the world, with crystal clear waters averaging 11 meters of transparency. Two stratovolcanoes, Atitlán and Tolimán, are seen in the background on the lake’s southern shore, along with a small parasitic cinder cone of volcanic fragments on Tolimán’s slope. Volcán Atitlán is the highest at 3,535 meters (11,600 ft); it last erupted in 1853 and is considered marginally active, with steam fissures (fumarolas) and hot spots at the top. Tolimán is 3,158 meters high (10,360 ft), and has not erupted in historic times. Tourism flourishes in the area, and agricultural activity pushes up the volcano slopes.
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