The Almolonga volcano, sometimes also called "Cerro Quemado" (Burned Mountain), is an andesitic stratovolcano

Stratovolcano

A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...

 in the south-western department of Quetzaltenango

Quetzaltenango (department)

Quetzaltenango is a department in the western highlands of Guatemala. The capital is the city of Quetzaltenango, the second largest city in Guatemala. The inhabitants include Spanish-speaking Ladinos and the K'iche' and Mam Maya groups, both with their own Maya language...

 in Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...

. The volcano is located near the town of Almolonga

Almolonga, Quetzaltenango

Almolonga is a municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala, located on a road between Quetzaltenango city and Zunil. The majority of its population is indigenous, speaking the K'iche' language...

, just south of Quetzaltenango

Quetzaltenango

Quetzaltenango, also commonly known by its indigenous name, Xelajú , or more commonly, Xela , is the second largest city of Guatemala. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....

, Guatemala's second largest city.

The Volcano is set along the Zunil fault zone and has a central caldera surrounded by several dacitic and rhyolitic lava dome

Lava dome

|250px|thumb|right|Image of the [[rhyolitic]] lava dome of [[Chaitén Volcano]] during its 2008–2009 eruption.In volcanology, a lava dome is a roughly circular mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano...

s. Cerro Quemado is the largest and youngest lava dome complex and is the only one that has erupted (1818). The northern and eastern flanks of Cerro Quemado have hot springs.