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Published Monday, April 20,
2020
Triggered
alerts due to strong eruption of the
Rincón de la Vieja volcanoBy the A.M. Costa Rica staff The Municipal Emergency Committees, located in the communities near the Rincón de Vieja Volcano, in Guanacaste Province, triggered the state of alert due to the strong eruption registered this Sunday, announced the National Emergency Commission. The eruption began at 10:16 a.m., spewing gases, mud and ash at a recorded 1,500 meters above the height of the crater and 3,416 meters above sea level, reported the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory.  The materials released from the crater of the volcano fell into the rivers located on the upper parts of the volcano. People observed the falling of mudflows, so-called lahars, towards the channels of the north wall of the volcano where the three rivers are located, Pénjamo, Quebrada Azufrada and Azul, said Blas Sánchez, geologist of the National Emergency Commission. According to Sánchez, the volcanic materials are normal in the river flow and will not become a danger since those remain within the currents of the rivers and do not spill out. A group of specialists from the Emergency Commission, the Observatory, and the National Seismological Network of the University of Costa Rica, are continuously monitoring the state of the volcano. "It is important that the neighbors report any eventuality and follow all the recommendations given by the Emergency Commission and the rescue authorities ask to not access the river waters and stay away from them," said Sánchez. According to specialists, they had not received reports of ashfall or sulfur smell in the surrounding communities, even after the strong eruption. However, the seismic activity recorded on Sunday was greater than the one on Saturday, said the Observatory. Authorities call on people in the communities surrounding the volcano to report to 911 any unusual situation in the volcano. Also, they were advised to follow the recommendations of the Emergency Commission of the local communities. This is the third gas eruption from the volcano this month.  As was previously reported, on April 15 at 3:06 a.m., an eruption was recorded by the Observatory. According to specialists, the high concentration of fog did not allow the recording of the height reached by the gas column or the duration of the eruption. The eruption could only be registered by the earthquake signal instruments and the report of people from nearby communities about lahars, also known as mudflows, that fell through the Pénjamo, Quebrada Azufrada and Azul rivers.  The first eruption recorded on April 13, also marked another eruption on the same day at the Turrialba Volcano located in Cartago Province. In the case of the Turrialba Volcano, since Sunday night, there have been high temperatures and a considerable outflow of gases and steam, reported Guillermo Alvarado of the National Emergency Commission. According to Alvarado, the eruption emitted a lot of steam and gas or exhalation activity, which was accompanied by high temperatures. This was not an ash eruption. He added that the eruption of gas without ash in the volcano is normal since 2010. Before this eruption, a 3.3-magnitude earthquake was reported Sunday afternoon with an epicenter 4.5 km northeast of the Turrialba Volcano which may have been the cause of the outflow of gases, experts said. After the Turrialba shake, an eruption of gas and vapor was reported from Rincón de la Vieja Volcano at 2:50 a.m. on Monday. In this case, neither the ash fall nor the sulfur smell was reported, the specialists said. Inside the volcano, there was a registered notable shaking with variable amplitude and occasional low-frequency and low-amplitude volcanic earthquakes. "Significant degassing was observed at the top, with a column of gas and water vapor rising to 500 meters. There is no significant deformation of the volcano's walls," reported specialists from the Observatory. Costa Rica has active volcanoes, which is why it is important to be alert, have an emergency plan, know evacuation routes and safe places in case of a volcanic eruption, recommended the specialists of the Emergency Commission. Since January more Rincón de La Vieja Volcano eruptions were registered, making the National Emergency Commission declare a green alert. The alert was mainly for the districts of Aguas Claras and Dos Ríos, both communities of the canton of Upala located in Guanacaste, due to the eruption of the nearby volcano. According to the report of the Observatory, on Jan. 30, at 12:13 p.m. the mountain spewed out a column that rose 2,000 meters above the crater's height and 3,916 meters above sea level. According to the commission, the regions at risk are those that are located in areas where mudflows from the volcano may descend. "Those in the communities are requested to stay away from riverbeds because mudflows can continue to descend," said the commission in its alert. According to the specialists, there was also liquid material that fell from the volcano down to the Penjamo River and Zanjonuda River after the eruption. Also, people living in the communities of Buenos Aires and Gavilán reported a perceived strong odor of sulfur. According to the observatory specialists, the eruption was classified at level 3, where gas hazards, water table eruptions and lahars are associated. "The seismicity increased, the background tremor was amplified and the frequency of short tremors intensified with several swarms," said the Observatory in its report. Access to the volcano was closed due to continuous eruptions. ------------------------ Should the authorities create an evacuation plan for the communities nearest to those two volcanoes? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. 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