Concepción is an active stratovolcano that forms the northwest part of the Isla de Ometepe. Concepción is tall and rests on a 1 km (3,300ft) thick base of Quaternary lacustrine mudstones. It is considered a pristine volcano because there has been no influence of other volcanoes on its growth. The growth of the volcano comes in phases based on weaknesses of the crust that the volcano rests on. As it grows from additional magma flow, the volcano grows in mass and exerts pressure on the crust. This causes shifts which in turn cause more volcanic growth. This affects the magma chamber which begins the cycle again with growth because of magmatic flow.