By the
A.M. Costa Rica staff
The volcanology and
seismological observatory of Costa
Rica, known as OVSICORI for its
acronym in Spanish, reported
another eruption in the Rincon de la
Vieja* volcano in
Guanacaste.
According to the specialists at
1:26 a.m. Sunday, an eruption was
registered in the volcano. The
height reached by the column is
unknown due to the bad weather
conditions that blocked the
visibility of the site. But what
was confirmed is that the eruption
lasted five minutes. Also
registered was the fall of
incandescent rocks. In addition, a
new lahar or mudslide is reported
into the Pénjamo River, the Azúl
River and the Azufrada River.
The population should be alert
since many eruptions occur at dawn
with few premonitory signals so
they can produce mud streams
(lahars) into rivers and even
pyroclastic flows, said the
specialists,
A lahar, is a violent flow of
pyroclastic material, rocky debris
and water. The material flows from
a volcano, typically into a river
valley.
These eruptive events are
phreatomagmatic, that is to say,
explosions occur because the
magmatic gas interacts with the
active crater acid lake, as well
as occasionally, small amounts of
magma rise and hit the lake,
generating even more violent
explosions.
According to the rangers of the
organization Volcano Without
Borders, this new eruption was
heard more than 8 km away, in the
towns of Gavilán and Buenos Aires
of Upala.
"One of the neighbors reported
from the town of Gavilán the exit
of incandescent rocks, which
corresponds to pyroclastic rocks
ejected in ballistic form, which
reached 500 meters away and could
exceed 150 kilometers and hour,"
said the specialists.
In relation to the rivers near the
volcano, the park rangers reported
that another lahar changed the
coloration of the Niño and the
Pénjamo rivers to milky gray color
with a strong smell of sulfur.
Rocks up to 40 cm were suspended
in the flow, which generated a
strong sound as it went downstream
and caused a drastic increase in
the level of water.
The level in the Pénjamo River
increased more than 4 meters
suddenly, and the river expanded
more than 6 meters to each side.
Also in the Niño river in the town
of Burma on Upala, located 15 km
from the volcano, changed to a
grayish color and increased its
acidity, with the smell of sulfur.
Killed were sardines and fresh
water crabs, who sustained burns.
"The death of aquatic fauna such
as the family Pseudothelphusidae
(freshwater crabs) and fish of the
family Chacaridae
(sardines) with eyes and gills
burned were observed again. They
were without scales, and the skin
was partially burned. In the
margins of the different affected
rivers gray mud and yellowish
layers were seen,"said the park
rangers.
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Volcano
Without Borders
Organization courtesy
photo
Death of crabs and
sardines with eyes and
gills burned were
observed again. They
were without scales,
and the skin was
partially burned.
The National Emergency
Committee activated
three emergencies
offices committees, in
the towns of Upala,
Gavilana and Dos Ríos.
According to the agency,
staffers analyzed the
state of the situation
near to the volcano
area.
"Neighbors
must remain vigilant of
rivers in the face of
possible material
movements towards
communities near the
volcano," said officials
in a statement.
A.M.
Costa Rica
reported on two
eruptions Thursday. The
first began at 1:30 a.m.
and lasted two minutes.
Half an hour later, a
second eruption was
generated that caused
the flow of material on
the edges of the volcano
and the debris reached
the rivers.
According to
witnesses, after the
eruption and the
sediment in the rivers,
the people observed how
the fish of the river
began to float and that
they even collected them
in sacks. The dead fish
had gills burned, and
the skin yellowed and
partially burned, and a
dead caiman was found on
the river bank. Some of
the ejected
material and the mud
flows had a pH of 0,
meaning extremely
acidic.
According to
the specialists the Rincon
de la Vieja*
volcano has been in a
stage of intense
activity since 2011.
Due to the
constant activity of the
volcanos Rincon
de la Vieja*
in Guanacaste, Turrialba
in Cartago* and Poás
in Alajuela*, the
National Emergency
Commission urged
last Tuesday that the
public respect the
access restrictions that
have been imposed near
the craters.
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Should the emergency
commission start on the
process move out the
residents who live in
the areas closest to the
volcano? We would like
to know your thoughts on
this story. Send your
comments to: news@amcostarica.com
*Click
on the blue letters to
reach the place in
google maps.
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