Arenal

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Arenal
View of the Arenal from the Santa Elena National Park

View of the Arenal from the Santa Elena National Park

height 1670  m
location Alajuela Province , Costa Rica
Coordinates 10 ° 27 '41 "  N , 84 ° 42' 14"  W Coordinates: 10 ° 27 '41 "  N , 84 ° 42' 14"  W.
Arenal (Alajuela Province)
Arenal
Type active stratovolcano
Last eruption July 29, 1968 to date
First ascent 1937

The Arenal is the most active and youngest volcano in Costa Rica and one of the most active volcanoes in the world. La Fortuna and the largest inland lake in the country, the Arenal Lake, are located at the foot of the volcano .

Until its first ascent in 1937, no one believed in a volcanic origin of the cone, as it was completely overgrown with plants at that time.

Volcanic activity

Lava flowing down the slopes of the Arenal at night

The Arenal showed no activity for about 400 years, but now the volcano is growing several meters a year as lava piles up around the crater . Lava also flows regularly on the slopes to the bottom of the valley ; The Arenal repeatedly throws glowing boulders up to 7.5 m in diameter up to 300 meters high.

On July 29, 1968, during its last major eruption, it destroyed the villages of Pueblo Nuevo and Tabacon , the remains can still be visited today. 87 people were killed in this eruption and 640 million cubic meters of lava and 35 million cubic meters of tephra were ejected in the summit area and on the western flank of the cone .

On May 24, 2010, the eruptions were so powerful and the explosions produced so much tephra that the national park had to be evacuated. Eight streams of lava flowed on the flanks of the cone.

Lava has stopped flowing since October 2010.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.vulkane.net, Eruption at the Arenal in Costa Rica , accessed on June 4, 2010 6:22 PM CEST
  2. ↑ http://www.costarica21.com/Arenal-Volcano.html

Web links

Commons : Arenal  - collection of images, videos and audio files