Biggest eruption in years at Rincón de la Vieja Volcano
The Costa Rican volcano spewed a massive column of ash.
Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in northwest Costa Rica erupted on Monday, spewing a column of smoke in what authorities said may have been its biggest event in years.
The three-minute eruption began at 5:42 a.m. and generated a column of ash and gas that rose 2 km above the crater. The National Emergency Commission (CNE) did not report any evacuations, damage or injuries associated with the activity.
In the below video, you can observe the eruption and the debris cascading down the volcano’s slopes:
“It was a pretty energetic eruption,” Maarten de Moor, a specialist at the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Ovsicori), told AFP.
Although the volcano has frequent outbursts, this “could be the largest since the 1990s,” he added.
Costa Rica has five volcanos that have been active historically:
Rincón de la Vieja: An andesitic complex volcano near Liberia in northwest Costa Rica. Eruptions have not caused significant damage or loss of life in recent history. Last erupted, well, yesterday.
Irazú: A complex stratovolcano near Cartago. It famously erupted in 1963, a few days before John F. Kennedy became the first sitting U.S. President to visit Costa Rica. Those eruptions would continue for two years!
Turrialba: A stratovolcano near Turrialba, Cartago. Eruptions in the 2010s caused ash fall in San José, provoking health issues and airport closures. Turrialba has not been explosively eruptive for several years.
Poás: A stratovolcano in central Costa Rica. It has erupted dozens of times in recorded history. Activity in 2017 forced a temporary closure of the national park; it has since been deemed safe to visit the crater.
Arenal: Costa Rica’s most-famous volcano. A dormant period ended violently in 1968, when a massive eruption destroyed villages and killed dozens of people. Lava flows and small gas eruptions were relatively common for decades afterward. Arenal is now considered dormant and has exhibited minimal activity since 2010.
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