Rincon de la Vieja
Rincon de la Vieja | ||
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height | 1916 m | |
location | Province of Guanacaste , Costa Rica | |
Coordinates | 10 ° 49 '42 " N , 85 ° 21' 4" W | |
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Type | complex volcano | |
Last eruption | 2011 |
The Rincón de la Vieja is an active, complex volcano in northwest Costa Rica .
geography
It is located in the Rincón de la Vieja National Park , 25 km from Liberia , in the Guanacaste province . The volcano has a height of 1916 m. In its crater at a height of more than 1800 m there is an acid lake , which is 100 m below the crater rim and has a diameter of about 250 meters. Temperatures of up to 90 ° C are measured in it. During the eruption in 1995, the lake spilled over and there was an 18 km long mudslide. During the eruption in February 1998, a corrosive stream of mud laden with glowing rock debris sloshed out of the crater and poured 18 km into the plain, destroying plantations , bridges and roads there . Other smaller craters extend on the flank of the volcano in an arc that runs from northeast to southwest. The last outbreak occurred on September 22, 2011.
In addition to the Rincón de la Vieja, there are six other active volcanoes in Costa Rica: Poás , Irazú , Miravalles , Orosí , Arenal and Turrialba .
Geothermal energy
A large number of hot springs, fumaroles , hot bubbling mud holes, and sulfur compound smell in the area around the volcano are indicative of the geothermal energy present . Studies have shown that the volcano could generate a geothermal output of 120 MW . However, since it is located in the national park, only small test drillings are allowed. Further drilling would require studies of possible environmental damage.
Myths
Rincón de la Vieja means roughly the old woman's hideout . According to the legends of the people around the Rincón de la Vieja, an old witch hides in the lake . Because she had frightened the people she once lived with with her predatory teeth and fiery eyes, she was cursed by a medicine man . Then she disappeared in the crater of the volcano.
Web links
- Rincón de la Vieja in the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution (English)
- Explosion at Rincon de la Vieja Volcano spews vapor, gases into the air. The Tico Times, May 24, 2017 (English)