April 27, 2024, 9:01 AM
April 27, 2024, 9:01 AM
The authorities of Costa Rica intensified this Friday (04/26/2024) surveillance over the Rincón de la Vieja volcano, located in the province of Guanacaste, after confirming an increase in its seismic and gas activity.
The National Emergency Commission (CNE) reported that it maintains “constant monitoring and surveillance of the colossus” in conjunction with experts from the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Ovsicori).
“The latest reports from Ovsicori indicate that there has been an increase in gas outflow and seismic activity, so the probability of eruptive activity is not ruled out. This condition is within the normal parameters of an active volcano,” explained the CNE in a statement.
Rincón de la Vieja, located in a national park of the same name about 280 kilometers northwest of San José, is one of the most active volcanoes in Costa Rica and since 2012 it has been prohibited for people to climb to the top.
The authorities also keep the trails that lead to the upper parts of the volcano closed.
In recent years, the CNE has also trained the communities closest to the volcano so that they have emergency plans for possible eruptions.
This volcano usually releases gas eruptions with some frequency and has sometimes caused lahars that flow down the nearby rivers.
They detect small gas eruptions
The latest Ovsicori report, issued on Thursday, April 25, indicates that since April 17 there has been “a significant increase in volcanic seismicity” and that “seismic energies are the highest in the last 5 years.”
“Current observations suggest a trend toward an increase in volcanic activity in the near future,” the report states.
During this week, Ovsicori recorded 19 small eruptions without ash or lahars, but with columns of gases that rose between 500 and 2000 meters above the crater.
The authorities urged the population to stay informed through official channels and exercise caution in the event of an eruption.
