The Poás Volcano in Costa Rica erupted on Monday, October 1, 2019.
The volcanic explosion has prompted officials to temporarily close the popular tourist attraction because of a “high probability” of more eruptions.
The dawn eruption, captured on video by the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI), sent a column of ash more than a mile above the 8,885-foot volcano.
Poás Volcano National Park, located 29 miles northwest of the Costa Rican capital of San Jose, remained closed Tuesday and a reopening date had not been announced at the time of this post.
According to Tico Times, the closure was ordered by the National Emergency Commission, which stated:
“Poás Volcano will remain closed on Tuesday, Oct. 1 due to the high probability of eruptive activity. After the eruption presented at 5:40 a.m. on Sept. 30, both the National Seismological Network and OVSICORI-UNA found that the seismic tremor signal associated with volcanic activity remains high with fluids in the internal ducts of the volcano. In addition, there is a presence and a significant concentration of SO2 (Sulfur Dioxide) at the viewpoint.”
Volcán Poas hace un rato pic.twitter.com/QJPPhTvQAf
— Gmo_cr (@Gmo_CR) September 30, 2019
Poás had previously erupted on Sept. 22, prompting a 48-hour closure of the park. That was a hydrothermal event, however, involving mostly water vapor.
Animation of volcanic SO2 emission from Poas volcano (Costa Rica) in September 2019, observed by @tropomi. #s5p #tropomi @DLR_en @BIRA_IASB pic.twitter.com/KwCqVqJxXw
— TROPOMI SO2 (@DlrSo2) September 27, 2019
The volcano has erupted 40 times since 1828, including a major eruption in April 2017, which prompted the evacuation of tourists and area residents. Meanwhile the Shivelush volcano also erupted yesterday sending a column of smoke and ash 30,000 feet in the air.
Poás reopened in September 2018 with a wide safety perimeter around the erupting crater. Hopefully the Poas volcano will rapidly calm down. [FTW]
