Speaking of volcanoes (see post from Friday, March 28, 2008), Cerro Negro lies near the historic city of Leon. Cerro Negro means "black hill" in Spanish, which is a perfect description of the slopes of this very young volcano. Because it was formed less than 160 years ago, in 1850, the erupted volcanic rock hasn't broken down enough to allow plants and trees to survive. We visited and climbed half-way up the rudimentary trail on our first visit to Nicaragua. Cerro Negro has a stark, poetic beauty, and last erupted in 1999. According to the USGS, Cerro Negro is classified as a cinder cone volcano, and is one of the best known examples of a cinder cone that has erupted more than once. This is a picture of me (in flowered pants), our son (at top of hill), and our Nicaraguan geologist guide from the Nicaraguan geophysics department of the national government, who kindly gave us a fabulous tour. Chuck, my husband, who is the geologist in our family, is taking the picture.
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