Poás Volcano erupts in central Costa Rica
The active volcano erupted just after noon Tuesday in Poás Volcano National Park, which is in the country's Alajuela Province. Though these explosions occur with relative frequency, they can still prove fatal if they catch hikers unaware.
By Michael Walsh / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Tuesday, February 25, 2014,
ovsicori.una.ac.cr
Tuesday's blast came from one of Costa Rica's most conspicuous natural landmarks, Poás Volcano.
An active volcano in central Costa Rica reportedly erupted just after noon on Tuesday.
A webcam from the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI) captured the moment a dark cloud exploded about 1,000 feet in the air from a massive crater of the Poás Volcano.
The research institute, affiliated with the National University of Costa Rica, said the blast was a phreatic explosion which occurs when magma or hot rocks heat surface water to the point where it boils and quickly explodes in a burst of steam.
"In a lot of these volcanoes — especially ones with lakes in the summit — water seeps into the cracks in the crater and it will heat up," Volcanologist Erik Klemetti told the Daily News.
Any ash or lava seen in the blast was likely old magma and ash from a previous larger eruption, Klemetti explained.
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Earlier this month, Costa Rica's National Seismological Network (RSN) released a report saying that the volcano’s crater was glowing red-hot with molten rock and was emitting sulfur.
Small-scale eruptions are not uncommon for the 8,884 foot giant. Geology site Volcano Discovery said there have been eruptions during every year of this decade so far. Klemetti said the volcano provudes five to 10 of these per month.
YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images
The crater of Poás Volcano, seen her in a photo from 2010, is one of the most visited tourist sites in Costa Rica.
But this regularity does not mean these explosions cannot kill. Last May five hikers died in an unexpected explosion on Mount Mayon in the Philippines.
"If you’re up in the crater, they can happen fairly unexpectedly," said Klemetti. "They can be dangerous if you are hiking on the summit."
The Poás Volcano, a frequently visited tourist site, is one of the country's most prominent natural landmarks.
It is located in a national park of the same name in the Alajuela Province.
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