Cerro Quemado is an active volcano that in all likelihood will erupt again. Although its repose periods can be on the order of one thousand years, the proximity of a major city means that the consequences of an eruption are potentially great. We recommend deploying seismic and electronic distance measurement (EDM) equipment at Cerro Quemado to collect data as a baseline against which changes can be detected. In addition, a permanent seismic station here would complement the seismic net operated by INSIVUMEH at nearby Santa María and Santiaguito volcanoes. Although the technological expertise to operate a seismic monitoring system exists in Guatemala, the equipment necessary for this monitoring is not available. At present in Guatemala, seismic monitoring is limited to active volcanoes Santiaguito-Santa María, Fuego-Acatenango, and Pacaya, and to the Polochic and Motagua fault systems. Should Cerro Quemado move to a state of unrest, other monitoring systems (i.e. deformation systems, COS-PEC, etc.) could be used as necessary.
(Conway et al., 1992)