Q COSTARICA — The Poás Volcano registered a new phreatic eruption Thursday morning, according to the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (OVSICORI).
The event occurred at 11:42 a.m. and was visible via webcams. Experts also received reports from tourists and National Park officials.
“Those present confirmed the presence of a plume of ash and wet sediments,” the OVSICORI reported.
According to the report, the column rose approximately 40 meters above the crater floor, between fumarole vents A and C, with vigorous emission of water vapor, gases, and ash.
Advertisements
“Poás has increased its level of activity in the last two weeks, with phreatic eruptions that include the ejection of hot rocks, sediments, and wet ash, all falling into the crater,” the experts emphasize.
On October 21, the volcano also recorded a phreatic eruption, expelling incandescent blocks about 100 meters away.
“This eruption occurred at Mouth A and expelled incandescent blocks with a column of water vapor and gases up to 500 meters above the active crater,” said volcanologist Maarten de Moor.
Also on that occasion, the specialist noted that no precursory signals were detected before the event, reinforcing the sudden nature of this type of phreatic manifestation.
Phreatic Eruptions
Experts emphasize that these explosions occur when the heat of magma comes into contact with groundwater, generating sudden expansions of steam and hot rock fragments, without necessarily causing the rise of new magma.
Given this activity and the history of the massif, Ovsicori maintains constant surveillance of the Poás Volcano and maintains the “warning” level.
For its part, the Poás Volcano National Park remains open to the public, with a special safety protocol and constant monitoring.