Costa Rica’s Turrialba Volcano Erupts

An abandoned shed stands near the crater of the, 3,328-meter high Turrialba volcano, 42 miles east of San Jose, Costa Rica/

An abandoned shed stands near the crater of the, 3,328-meter high Turrialba volcano, 42 miles east of San Jose, Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s Turrialba volcano erupted on January 6th for the first time in more than a century, spewing ash and prompting the evacuation of about 25 people living in nearby communities. Emergency crews have been watching the volcano for two years.

Last week we posted on Volcano Poas Erupting on Christmas day and mentioned that this could be a preamble of what may be in the horizon for the Costa Rica in the year 2010.

Authorities monitoring Turrialba’s activity increased a volcano alert level Wednesday, saying “intense” but “low” seismic activity continued in the crater area. Sharp shocks took place several times during this week according to the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica at Universidad Nacional.

Volcano experts traveling by foot reached the calderas of the volcano earlier Thursday.  They reported that ash and fumes still were erupting but only to about 300 feet into the sky. The experts reported they could hear small rumbling explosions. However, their surveillance was hampered on Wednesday because of rain and ash that had turned to mud and three cantons of Turrialba, Alvarado and Oreamuno are currently under a yellow alert.  Read more... (368 words, 2 images, estimated 1:28 mins reading time)

Posted Under: Culture and Society, Environment - Ecology - Green, Travel & Vacation
This post was written by admin on January 8, 2010 Comments (1)

Costa Rica’s Volcano Poas Eruptes

The Volcano Poas erupts on Christmas day

The Volcano Poas erupts on Christmas Day

When it comes to Costa Rica volcano’s tourist usually think of Arenal, when in reality, the Pacific Ring Fire Circle, Costa Rica has over 200 identifiable volcanic formations However, only 100 or so show any signs of volcanic activity, while just five are classified as active volcanoes. Most of the volcanoes in Costa Rica lie in the northern part of the country and in the Central Highlands.

With Volcán Poás spilling out vapor, water, rocks and sediment on Christmas morning, is this just a prelude for Costa Ricans of what to expect in 2010?

Even at the delight of tourists who admired the show, one was heard loudly, “Let’s get out of here!”

There have been two similar eruptions this year. One was Jan. 12, just four days after the deadly 6.2 magnitude Cinchona earthquake that destroyed a town not far away and killed forty people and affected Fraijanes, Vara Blanca, the capital San José and the Central Valley region of Costa Rica. The second eruption was Sept. 18.  Read more... (552 words, 2 images, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

Posted Under: Environment - Ecology - Green, Travel & Vacation
This post was written by admin on January 1, 2010 Comments (0)