Volcanoes
Costa Rica is one of the most active volcanic regions on earth and its seven volcanoes are part of the Pacific Rim of Fire. The highest of these volcanoes is Irazu and the most active is Arenal.
The volcanoes of Costa Rica have also become a huge tourist attraction. In the 1950's, the government decided to protect the land near them and as a result several national parks have been created around them. Some of these national parks provide visitors with accommodations such as viewing facilities, lectures, and guided walks to help explain the natural processes at work.
The magma that fuels most Central American volcanoes is very thick, viscous, and so filled with gases that the erupting magma often blasts violently into the air. If it erupts in large quantities, it may leave a cavity within the volcano's interior, into which the top of the mountain crumbles to form a caldera. The Irazú Volcano is a classic example of that. Eons ago its top fell in, but since then smaller eruptions have built three new cones.
One of the most serious eruptions actually came from the Irazu Volcano in 1963. It kept shooting out clouds of smoke and ash that continued fall all over San Jose for two years. Over 100 square km of the surrounding land was devastated. On August 24th, 2000, the Arenal Volcano erupted and fortunately there was only one casualty while two people were severely hurt and 600 of the nearby residents had to be evacuated.
If interested in visiting one or more of the spectacular volcanoes Costa Rica has to offer, please go to the Volcano link in our Activities & Tours section.
