Costa Rica's Turrialba Volcano erupts

We would like to share the official report from the Volcanologists from the University of Costa Rica and the National University regarding the eruptions from Turrialba Volcano that took place on Thursday March 12th, 2015 at 10:50 a.m., 1:48 p.m. and 2:26 p.m.

According to the scientist, the fumarole spewed material that reached some 500 meters (1,640 feet) above the crater's summit, located 67 kilometers northeast from our capital San Jose.

Raul Mora, a volcano log ist of the National University's Seismological Organization said that the explosion was followed with a series of volcanic tremors nearby the Turrialba Canton. Mora also said that the explosion had a greater magnitude than those recorded in the past months.

Reports from the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica's Facebook page stated that ashes were visible on roofs, windows and cars on the provinces of San Jose and Heredia, and up to 70 kilometers away.

At this time, there has been no report of casualties or property damage resulting from the eruption. Local media and Emergency Services are closely monitoring all activity from the volcano. The ash, did not affect the Turrialba area, but thanks to wind direction at the moment, ashes feel in the Central Valley.

The activity that occurred at the Turrialba Volcano was not unexpected. Volcanologists had been warned about recent activity, and the National Emergency Commission (CNE) decided to stop all visits to Turrialba National Park since March 5th, 2015.

Due to the amount of ash and low visibility, both Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) and Tobias Bolanos International Airport (SYQ) were closed on the afternoon of Thursday March 12th, and will supposedly be open again today in the afternoon.

The Turrialba Volcano today continues in full observation by specialists who will determine the actions to be taken; meanwhile the Turrialba area does not present any consequences. Locals and farmers had returned to their normal activities. We will be monitoring the situation and will keep you posted.  Update 16-03-15

After Turrialba volcano erupted three times on Thursday and once on Friday (closing schools and Juan SantamarĆ­a International Airport temporarily); no new eruptions have been reported on Saturday or Sunday. Volcanic activity has slowed, but OVSICORI (Observatory of Volcanology and Seismology of Costa Rica) warned that "more eruptions are still expected" as rocks seem to be restricting the exhaust of gasses.

Seismologist Javier Pacheco and geologist Jorge Brenes climbed to the top of the Turrialba volcano and brought back this video of the crater.

[gdlr_video url="https://youtu.be/xOuRmyF9Nac"]

  Update 17-03-15

We would like to inform you that the situation with the Turrialba Volcano is back to normal (there has been no more eruptions and the volcano is being monitored by experts). The San Jose International Airport (SJO) was open on Saturday and it is now operating normally. The area near and around the volcano reports no damages. Locals and farmers have returned to their normal activities, as well as all the tourist activities in the area.

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The Pothole is Pura Aventura's popular monthly email. We share what we love, what interests us and what we find challenging. And we don't Photoshop out the bits everyone else does. We like to think our considered opinions provide food for thought, and will sometimes put a smile on your face. They've even been known to make people cry. You can click here to subscribe and, naturally, unsubscribe at any time.

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