Turrialba Volcano Erupts Violently

TIV, GMR, HPV, PYM

Hell Hath No Fury Like the Primed Costa Rica Volcano!

The powerful explosion, said to be the volcano’s most powerful eruption in 6 years, ejected a thick column of ass and smoke more than 3km into the air.

Hundreds of people have inundated the local hospitals, complaining of breathing difficulties and skin burns, as multiple layers of ash covered the buildings and roads, and a strong stench of sulfur filled the air.

The 3,343-meter Turrialba Volcano, located in central Costa Rica, about 45km east of the capital, San Jose, began activity on Wednesday with the first wave of eruptions occurring on Friday, officials said.

Image source: itsjustaimy

Turrialba

Turrialba has been quiescent since a series of explosive eruptions during the 19th century that were sometimes accompanied by pyroclastic flows. Photo by Federico Chavarria Kopper, 1999. Caption: GVP.

Volcano Details

• Country: Costa Rica
• Volcano Number: 1405-07=
• Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
• Last Known Historic Eruption: 1866
• Summit Elevation: 3,340 m
• Latitude: 10.025°N  (10°1’30″N)
• Longitude: 83.767°W  (83°46’1″W)

Related Links

• Turrialba Volcano Explodes Again May 13, 2016
• Turrialba Volcano Explodes Raining Ash on Costa Rica Capital March 13, 2015

Turrialba Volcano Explodes Raining Ash on Costa Rica Capital

Volcanic ash from Turrialba rains on Costa Rica capital San José

Volcanologists at the University of Costa Rica have reported at least four explosions at Turrialba Volcano starting Thursday local time.

Plumes of smoke, ash and volcanic gasses rose up to a height of about 1km above the crater’s summit, located some 50km  northeast of the capital San José.

Winds carried the ash and gasses from the volcano the capital, where it rained on cars and homes, restricting visibility and causing eye irritation, said local media.

Camera located in the crater of the Turrialba volcano, about 600 meters east of the active crater (looking west). The image is refreshed every 10 seconds. Source: Instituto Meteorológico Nacional.

“We have recommended the evacuation of people and small animals as a precautionary measure because the last explosion was very strong,” said a spokesman for the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OBSIVORI).

The explosions follow two earthquakes which occurred near the Pacific coast of Costa Rica along the Middle America Trench, northwest of Fisher Seamount.

The larger of the two quakes measured magnitude 5.4Mw, and occurred at 10.603°N, 86.463°W, some 89km (55mi) W of Sardinal, Costa Rica, depth of 20.9km, at 16:23 UTC Wednesday.

Volcanic ash forced the closure of Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport, said a report.

VolcanoWatch Weekly [21 January 2010]

New activity/Unrest

13 January – 19 January 2010
SI /USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report

• Kharimkotan, Kuril Islands (Russia)
• Nyamuragira, Democratic Republic of Congo
• Soufrière Hills, Montserrat
• Tungurahua, Ecuador
• Turrialba, Costa Rica

Volcano News (Source: GVP)

MVO reported that during 8-15 January activity from the Soufrière Hills lava dome increased significantly. One explosion on 8 January and two on 10 January generated ash plumes that rose to altitudes of 5.5-7.6 km a.s.l. Ash fell in occupied areas to the NW. On 18 January, a partial lava-dome collapse generated a pyroclastic flow. Smoke from burning houses in Kinsale was visible after the event.

The IG reported that during 13-14 January explosions from Tungurahua ejected incandescent material 1 km above and 1.5 km away from the crater, onto the flanks. (SOURCE: GVP)

Ongoing Activity

Arenal, Costa Rica;  Chaitén, Southern Chile; Gaua, Banks Islands (SW Pacific); Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka; Kilauea, Hawaii (USA);  Kliuchevskoi, Central Kamchatka (Russia); Planchón-Peteroa, Central Chile-Argentina border; Rabaul, New Britain; Sakura-jima, Kyushu; Sangay, Ecuador; Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia);  Suwanose-jima, Ryukyu Islands (Japan)

The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is a cooperative project between the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program.

Related Links:

• Volcanic Explosions Could Split More Than Africa
• Arabia Shakes
• VolcanoWatch Weekly [28 Oct 2009]
• VolcanoWatch Weekly [26 Oct 2009]

More Links:

• Messages From Earth’s Powerhouse
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 19 March 2009

• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun
• Tonga’s Metis Shoal may be erupting
• Rumble III Volcano “blew its top!”
• Volcanoes
• Earthquakes

FEWW Volcanic Activity Forecast

• Sumatra’s Mt Kerinci Erupts
• Sumatra’s Mt Kerinci Erupts
• Volcano Watch Weekly: 23 April 2009

• Weekly Volcano Watch: 16 April 2009
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 2 April 2009

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Other Related Links:

• U.S. Volcano Status Map
• Elevated Activity Page

VolcanoWatch Weekly [14 January 2010]

New activity/Unrest

6 January -12 January 2010
SI /USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report

• Mayon, Luzon
• Nyamuragira, Democratic Republic of Congo
• Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion Island
• Tungurahua, Ecuador
• Turrialba, Costa Rica

Volcano News (Source: GVP)

During 11-12 January, activity from Tungurahua increased; ash plumes rose to higher altitudes and more explosions were detected. Incandescent blocks were ejected almost 1 km above the crater and 1.5 km away from the crater, onto the flanks. Gas-and-ash plumes rose to an altitude of 8 km (26,200 ft) a.s.l.

MVO reported that during 31 December-8 January pyroclastic flows from the Soufrière Hills lava dome continued to travel predominantly down areas to the N. On 8 January, a large pyroclastic flow event occurred after a collapsing fountain of tephra was observed on the NE side of the volcano. Source: GVP

Ongoing Activity

• Barren Island, Andaman Is
• Chaitén, Southern Chile
• Fuego, Guatemala
• Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka
• Kilauea, Hawaii (USA)
• Kliuchevskoi, Central Kamchatka (Russia)
• Pacaya, Guatemala
• Popocatépetl, México
• Rabaul, New Britain
• Redoubt, Southwestern Alaska
• Sakura-jima, Kyushu
• Santa María, Guatemala
• Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia)
• Soufrière Hills, Montserrat
• Suwanose-jima, Ryukyu Islands (Japan)

The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is a cooperative project between the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program.

Related Links:

• Volcanic Explosions Could Split More Than Africa
• Arabia Shakes
• VolcanoWatch Weekly [28 Oct 2009]
• VolcanoWatch Weekly [26 Oct 2009]

More Links:

• Messages From Earth’s Powerhouse
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 19 March 2009

• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun
• Tonga’s Metis Shoal may be erupting
• Rumble III Volcano “blew its top!”
• Volcanoes
• Earthquakes

FEWW Volcanic Activity Forecast

• Sumatra’s Mt Kerinci Erupts
• Sumatra’s Mt Kerinci Erupts
• Volcano Watch Weekly: 23 April 2009

• Weekly Volcano Watch: 16 April 2009
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 2 April 2009

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Other Related Links:

• U.S. Volcano Status Map
• Elevated Activity Page

VolcanoWatch Weekly [30 September 2009]

VOW: Golden Trout Creek

A cluster of 66 shocks have rocked a a 15 square km area centered about 36.392°N, 117.861°W, some 41 km east of the Golden Trout Creek volcano field in central California, in the past few days. Although most of the quakes were tremors measuring less than M 3.0, the largest shock measured 5.2.

Volcano Details:

Country:  United States
Region:  California (USA)
Volcano Type: Volcanic field
Volcano Status: Tephrochronology
Last Known Eruption: 5550 BC ± 1000 years
Summit Elevation: 2,886 m  (9,468 feet)
Latitude: 36.358°N   (36°21’30″N)
Source: Global Volcanism Program (GVP)

The Golden Trout Creek volcanic field consists of a group of Quaternary alkali olivine basaltic cinder cones and lava flows in the Toowa valley of the Sierra Nevada about 25 km south of Mount Whitney. Lava flows from the Golden Trout Creek volcanic field erupted through Mesozoic granitic rocks of the Sierra Nevada batholith during several episodes dating back to about 743,000 years ago, when the Little Whitney cinder cone and lava flows were erupted. The South Fork cone was erupted about 176,000 years ago and produced the largest lava flow of the volcanic field, which traveled 10 km to the west, possibly as far as the floor of Kern Canyon. Tunnel cone to the north of South Fork (Red Hill) cone is undated, but its lava flow is overlain by glacial deposits and it is thought to be only slightly younger than South Fork cone. The youngest lava flow, from Groundhog cone, is unglaciated and thought to be about 5-10,000 years old (Moore and Lanphere 1983). The lava flow from Groundhog cone traveled 6 km west down Golden Trout Creek on top of the older flow from South Fork cone.—GVP.   Photo: Rick Howard, 2002 (courtesy of Del Hubbs, U S Forest Service).

SI /USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report
(23 September – 29 September 2009)

New activity/Unrest:

• Dieng Volcanic Complex, Central Java (Indonesia)
• Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka
• Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia)

News From GVP:

CVGHM reported that on 26 September a “thunderous” noise from Dieng was heard from 2 km away. The next day, a phreatic eruption from an unspecified crater ejected mud as far away as 140 m S.

KVERT reported that on 17 and 22 September a weak thermal anomaly over Karymsky was detected in satellite imagery. Scientists flying near Karymsky in a helicopter on 22 September saw ash plumes that rose to an altitude of 1.7 km (5,600 ft) a.s.l. and drifted E. —GVP

Ongoing Activity:

• Batu Tara, Komba Island (Indonesia)
• Chaitén, Southern Chile
• Dukono, Halmahera
• Kilauea, Hawaii (USA)
• Langila, New Britain
• Rabaul, New Britain
• Redoubt, Southwestern Alaska
• Sakura-jima, Kyushu
• Turrialba, Costa Rica

Related Links:

• Messages From Earth’s Powerhouse
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 19 March 2009

• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun
• Tonga’s Metis Shoal may be erupting
• Rumble III Volcano “blew its top!”
• Volcanoes
• Earthquakes

FEWW Volcanic Activity Forecast

• Sumatra’s Mt Kerinci Erupts

• Sumatra’s Mt Kerinci Erupts
• Volcano Watch Weekly: 23 April 2009

• Weekly Volcano Watch: 16 April 2009
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 2 April 2009

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Other Related Links:

• U.S. Volcano Status Map
• Elevated Activity Page
• U.S. Volcano Webcams