The Rincon de la Vieja volcano, located in northern Costa Rica, has experienced an “energetic” eruption without affecting any people or infrastructure, according to authorities. The eruption reached some 2,500 meters above the summit, spewing mainly hot materials out of the crater lake, which were transported by rivers to the north face of the volcano.
Geologist Blás Sánchez, from the National Emergency Commission (CNE), explained that this type of eruption indicates that the volcano’s activity is increasing. The Rincón de la Vieja volcano is one of Costa Rica’s five active volcanoes, located in the Guanacaste region, about 270 km northwest of San José. It is currently at alert level 2 of 4, indicating a state of “significant” seismicity and small eruptions with “significant emission of acid gases,” according to the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI).
The eruption produced a dense column of material that reached up to 500 meters above the crater, which collapsed and produced sediment and water flows down the northern flank of the volcano. It also generated a water vapor column with “little ash content” that exceeded 2 km in height. No damage to people or infrastructure has been reported, according to the CNE. The Rincón de la Vieja volcano is a 1,895-meter-high massif located in the Central Mountain Range of Costa Rica, which runs through the center of the country from north to south and is one of the most active volcanoes in the country.