In this photo a group of volcanologists is examining an outcrop of the Los Chocoyos ash, a huge deposit erupted during the most recent of the 3 caldera-forming episodes that formed the present Lake Atitlan. The ash is so widespread that it can be used as a stratigraphic marker in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The top of the ash has a distinct pink coloration, and if you look closely you may be able to see a few small faults that offset the pink layer. Los Chocoyos are a type of bird that nests in burrows that it digs into the relatively soft ash.

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