Magmatic signature in acid rain at Masaya volcano, Nicaragua: Inferences on element volatility during lava lake degassing

Abstract Major, minor and trace element concentrations of single rainfall events were investigated at Masaya volcano (Nicaragua) in order to determine the relative contributions of volcanogenic elements. Most of the samples were collected in the summit area of the volcano around the Santiago crater, and two samples, representative of the local background, were collected at a 4.3 km upwind site. Samples from the summit are very acidic with pH down to 2.14 and contain large amounts of volcanogenic elements that can be clearly distinguished from the local background. These elements are released into the atmosphere from the continuously degassing lava lake of the Santiago crater, Masaya volcano…