Concepción is a frequently active composite vol-cano in Nicaragua, and is located on Ometepe Island, within Lake Nicaragua. Significant eruptive activity took place at this volcano between March and May 2010, consisting of ash and gas explosions (VEI 1–2). We compare geodetic baseline changes observed with global positioning system (GPS), sulfur dioxide flux (SO 2), and seismic amplitude (SAM) data collected at Concepción during April – June, 2010, and February – April, 2011. Time series analysis Editorial responsibility: S. De la Cruz-Reyna Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00445-014-0843-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. reveals a remarkable correlation among the data sets during 2010, when the volcano was erupting. In contrast, the vol-cano was at its background level of activity in 2011 and the statistical correlation among the time series is not signifi-cant for this period. We explain the emergence of correlation among the time series during eruptive activity through mod-eling of the GPS data with emplacement of a magma column in an open conduit. In the model, magma rose in the con-duit, between May 5 and 14, 2010, from a shallow reservoir located at ∼1.8 km depth. Later, between May 24 and 31, 2010, the top of the magma column descended to almost 600 m depth, corresponding to the cessation of eruptive activity. Thus, cross-correlation and an integrated analy-sis of these geophysical time series on a timescale of days helps to reveal the dynamics of the magma plumbing system operating below Concepción volcano.