Pacaya has a history of catastrophic collapse, which led to pyroclastic surges which extended far to the south, into areas where people are at risk. It is important to try to assess whether such collapses, which may expose explosive magma bodies and trigger dangerous eruptions, will occur again.  Geotechnical slope stability investigations at volcanoes challenge volcanologists to learn more about rock and slope failure.

Manzoni P 2012 Slope Stability Analysis of the Pacaya volcano, Guatemala, Using Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element Method MS Thesis Michigan Technological University

Schaefer LN 2012, GEOTECHNICAL DATA AND NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF EDIFICE COLLAPSE AND RELATED HAZARDS AT PACAYA VOLCANO, GUATEMALA, MS Thesis, Michigan Technological University.

Schaefer LN, T Oommen, C Corazzato, A Tibaldi, R Escobar Wolf and WI Rose, 2013, An integrated field-numerical approach to assess slope stability hazards at volcanoes: the example of Pacaya, Guatemala, Bulletin of Volcanology 75: 720-737.

Schaefer LN Kendrick JE, Oommen T, Lavallee, Y and Chigna G, 2015, Geomechanical rock properties of a basaltic volcano, Frontiers in Earth Science: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/feart.2015.00029

Siebert L, Alvarado G E, Vallance J W, van Wyk de Vries B, 2006. Large-volume volcanic edifice failures in Central America and associated hazards. In: Rose W I, Bluth G J S, Carr M J, Ewert J W, Patino L C, Vallance J W (eds), Volcanic hazards in Central America, Geol Soc Amer Spec Pap, 412: 1-26

Vallance J W, Siebert L, Rose W I, Giron J R, Banks N G, 1995. Edifice collapse and related hazards in Guatemala. J Volc Geotherm Res, 66: 337-355