A volcano in northwest Costa Rica erupted on Monday, spewing an enormous column of smoke into the air in what could be its biggest outburst in years, authorities said.
The Rincon de la Vieja volcano’s nearly three-minute eruption in the early hours of the day belched a column of smoke almost two kilometers (1.2 miles) high, depositing ash on surrounding areas but causing no damage or injuries.
The volcano, whose eruption did not trigger any immediate evacuations, is situated in a national park in Guanacaste province some 200 kilometers from the capital, San Jose.
“It was a pretty energetic eruption,” said Maarten de Moor, a specialist at the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Ovsicori).
Although the volcano has frequent outbursts – some 1,400 last year alone – this “could be the largest since the 1990s,” he added.
The National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Management said it had deployed a team to evaluate the situation, and urged people not to approach the site.
Costa Rica has about 200 volcanoes from which six have been historically active: Rincón de la Vieja, Poás, Arenal, Irazú, Turrialba, and Tenorio. [France24]
Now subscribe to this blog to get more amazing news curated just for you right in your inbox on a daily basis (here an example of our new newsletter).
You can also follow us on Facebook and/ or Twitter. And, by the way you can also make a donation through Paypal. Thank you!
You should really subscribe to QFiles. You will get very interesting information about strange events around the world.
Costa Rica, pura vida.
Costa Rica is another beautiful area that has volcanic activity. I always find it strange that people flock to places that have the potential for a cataclysmic disaster?
Why is that? Doesn’t make sense. Is it a subconscious death wish?
No I think its the raw beauty and the power that attracts .Most of us wouldn’t live there due to the potential disaster not to say we wouldn’t visit though .Plus its great farm land at the base.