A baby volcanic rock in Costa Rica from the Turrialba volcano. Source: RSN Earth scientists at the National Seismology Network (Spanish initials: RSN) of the University of Costa Rica issued a statement yesterday that underscores the need for emergency planning and disaster preparedness in the communities near the Turrialba volcano, in the province of Cartago. Magmatic levels at this active col...

Night vision photograph of the Turrialba eruption. Source: OVSICORI Do you love the smell of sulfur in the morning? It smells like... geology. This morning, residents and tourists in various neighborhoods of the Greater San Jose Metropolitan Area (Spanish initials: GAM) in Costa Rica awoke to an acrid and pungent aroma, which is a common occurrence for the farming communities that lie on the s...

Source: RSN (UCR) Following two eruptions that expelled ash columns on Easter Sunday, officers from Fuerza Publica (the national police force of Costa Rica) were deployed to various sectors of the Turrialba Volcano National Park for the purpose of evacuating the area. According to a news report filed by Lady Rojas of online news daily Costa Rica Hoy, Fuerza Publica Commissar Juan Jose Andra...

The Arenal volcano in 2006. Wikimedia Commons (EUREKALERT) An international research team, led by a Virginia Tech geoscientist, has revealed information about how continents were generated on Earth more than 2.5 billion years ago -- and how those processes have continued within the last 70 million years to profoundly affect the planet's life and climate. Published online today in Nature Geo...

Intensity map by RSN (UCR) UPDATE: The 11:05 earthquake, magnitude 4.2 with an epicenter north of San Ramon in the province of Alajuela, is not part of the Cinchona cluster. It is important to keep in mind that Costa Rica is a seismic country. Three strong earthquakes followed by more than 70 aftershocks rudely awakened residents of a seismic region of Costa Rica on the final day of March. ...

The magnificent Turrialba in April 2012. Source: RSN A nighttime period of gaseous exhalation followed two minor ash eruptions from the Turrialba volcano, which is currently the most active colossus of Costa Rica. The first of the two eruptions, which took place over the weekend, was registered at 2:45 pm on a Saturday afternoon. That volcanic event mostly consisted of fine ash being expelled,...

Source: OVSICORI A new eruption of the Turrialba volcano on Wednesday afternoon did not stop officials from the Ministry of Education from resuming classes at 16 schools that were affected by volcanic activity last week. The most recent eruption occurred just after 1:30 pm on a sunny afternoon in Costa Rica; the volcanic matter expelled this time was mostly gases and steam. Personnel from the O...

Source: RSN A reasonable level of surface seismicity detected in the vicinity of the active Turrialba volcano in Costa Rica suggests that future eruptions could take place. Earth scientists from the National Seismology Network of the University of Costa Rica (Spanish initials: RSN), along with colleagues from the Observatory on Seismology and Volcanology of the National University (Spanish acr...

Source: OVSICORI Despite ongoing ash exhalations from the Turrialba volcano in the province of Cartago, officials from the Directorate of Civil Aviation agreed to allow flight operations to resume at the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in the province of Alajuela. SJO was closed yesterday afternoon due to low visibility and heavy accumulation of volcanic ash covered the runway. ...

Source: RSN Following five months of relative calm, the Turrialba volcano has awakened with an intensity that has not been recorded in more than a century. It all started on Sunday, March 8th with a phreatic (ground water) eruption that would later include exhalations of gas and ash. Two late-night eruptions on Wednesday resulted in moderate ash columns, but the most spectacular events took pl...

Source: RSN Two nighttime ash exhalations that occurred while neighbors were sleeping on Wednesday make the Turrialba volcano of the province of Cartago one of the most active in Costa Rica. According to a report filed by Alejandro Fonseca of daily tabloid Diario Extra, the first slight eruption occurred at 1:00 am and the second happened nearly 15 minutes later. According to the Observator...

View of the vulcano Villarrica erupting on 03 March 2015 at Villarrica, 750km south Santiago de Chile in Chile. Over 4,000 people have been evacuated due to the risk of floods as snow melts due to the volcano's eruption. EFE/Ariel Marinkovic Santiago, Mar 3 (EFE; additional context by The Costa Rica Star).- The Villarrica volcano in southern Chile erupted early Tuesday, sending plumes of smoke...

Source: OVSICORI Located in the province of Alajuela, La Fortuna is one of the most visited regions of Costa Rica. There are many reasons for this, and a few of them are eloquently explained in this video, which was recently shared on YouTube by a traveler who had quite a blast visiting La Fortuna and the Arenal volcano.   The fun in La Fortuna begins with getting there. In this vid...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Geographic Society announced today the launch of National Geographic Private Expeditions, a new line of trips geared toward independent travelers, offered in partnership with Virtuoso®, the leading international network of luxury-focused travel agencies and advisors. Private Expeditions are unique itineraries to destinations all over...

A renowned ufologist and researcher of paranormal activity has determined that the ongoing eruption of the Turrialba volcano presents an ideal opportunity for sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in Costa Rica. Sixto Paz Wells is a Peruvian UFO researcher who has written dozens of books on topics that transcend the space-time continuum that most of us strive to understand. Mr. Paz wa...

Source: RSN UCR There is a new and attractive lake atop the crater of the Turrialba volcano in the province of Cartago; alas, volcano tourists should not yet rejoice. The park remains closed and under yellow alert due to an early morning eruption on Thursday, which sent heavy plumes of ash followed by a gas exhalation phase. Needless to say, the lake is strictly off-limits to swimmers. &nbs...

Whereas unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, commonly referred to as “drones”) routinely make headlines for their use in wartime operations, surveillance and invasive law enforcement, in Costa Rica they are used for science. As reported by The Costa Rica Star in late 2011, The Center for the Investigation of Nuclear and Particle Science (Spanish acronym: CICANUM) of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) u...

Source: OVSICORI It's been five days since scientists from the Observatory on Seismology and Volcanology of Costa Rica (Spanish acronym: OVSICORI) and the National Seismology Network (Spanish initials: RSN) climbed to the top of the Turrialba volcano along with emergency management officials after a powerful eruption.. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, geologists, petrologists, vo...

A special geodesic instrument similar to devices that connect to the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite network will measure minuscule terrain changes near the Turrialba volcano for the purpose of assessing future eruptions. In the meantime, the forecast for acid rain in some regions of Costa Rica remains along with warnings about continuing ash clouds. Scientists from the Observatory on...

Source: OVSICORI Conditions have slightly improved for the agricultural communities that lie on the skirts of the Turrialba volcano in Costa Rica. Incandescence and isolated events of pyroclastic flow are still being detected, which is why the Turrialba National Park remains off-limits to visitors; however, the danger presented by eruptions of ash and great blocks of igneous volcanic matter ha...

Until a few days ago, one of the toughest mountain bike races in the world featured a route that would take competitors through a region affected by the ongoing magmatic eruptions of the Turrialba volcano in the province of Cartago. La Ruta de los Conquistadores is an adventure and endurance race that takes riders through some of the same routes that claimed the lives of thousands of conquistadors...

Source: Ge PC Facebook Days after the powerful magmatic eruption of the Turrialba volcano in the province of Cartago, ash clouds and acid rain are affecting the lives of thousands of residents in Costa Rica. The impact of this geological aftermath has had a negative effect on public health and the agricultural sectors, but the tourism economy in the region has yet to report losses.   ...

Source: OVSICORI Teams of earth scientists and emergency management officials who climbed to the top of the Turrialba volcano in Costa Rica yesterday issued a volcanology report that supports yellow alert conditions in the area. Although the presence of lava was not detected in the crater area, the colossus is still very active in terms of expelling other volcanic matter. As previously repo...

After brief deliberation and disagreement, geologists from the two main Earth science research centers in Costa Rica have come to the agreement that the recent eruptions of the Turrialba volcano in the province of Cartago are magmatic rather than phreatic. They also agree that the ongoing activity could result in stronger volcanic eruptions such as the one that sent heavy ash clouds over the Centr...

Source: OVSICORI Volcano tourists take note: The Turrialba, Poas and Rincon de la Vieja (Old Lady’s Corner) volcanoes of Costa Rica are currently very active and not safe to visit. As recently reported by The Costa Rica Star, the Turrialba volcano came alive a few days ago with a spectacular midnight eruption that sent thick clouds of ash as far as the capital city of San Jose. Nearby communit...

Following the midnight eruption of the Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica, the Directorate of Civil Aviation has issued a warning to pilots, controllers and members of air crews about the lingering ash clouds that have formed in some air corridors over the country. Civil Aviation Director Alvaro Vargas explained that the volcanic ash could affect flights and airport operations in Costa Rica. At th...

A dairy cow is evacuated as the Turrialba rains down ash. Photo: RSN About 20 minutes before midnight on October 29th, the Turrialba Volcano in the province of Cartago woke up from its slumber without warning and delivered the strongest eruption in the last 150 years. The quiet agricultural town of Turrialba was shaken by a few seismic movements, which were followed by massive ash clouds that ...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Following the September 27th eruption of Mount Ontake, a volcano in Japan that was considered to be mostly dormant since 1979, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica issued an official communiqué extending condolences and solidarity to the honorable people of this Asian island nation at a time when the death count has climbed to 54.   Hiking to the p...

Source: Kalambu Hot Springs The Kalambu Hot Springs Water Park opened its doors and recreational facilities to the public during a rainy afternoon this Saturday. The inauguration of this aquatic-themed park comes at a time when both domestic and international tourism in Costa Rica are at all-time high levels and increasing significantly. This new water park is located in La Fortuna of the San ...

The impressive Arenal Volcano is at the top of everyone’s list of places to visit in Costa Rica. The spectacular rainforest around the live volcano, the area’s easy accessibility, and huge abundance of outdoor adventures make it a top place to visit in Guanacaste. Costa Rica’s whitewater rafting fame includes the beautiful rivers of the Arenal area – the Balsa, Toro and Penas Blancas rivers. Th...

Crater Dome at Poas Volcano. Source: RSN Volcano tourists rejoice: The Central American portion of the Ring of Fire is currently on fire, and volcanoes in Costa Rica and Nicaragua are showing off their natural beauty and power with sulfur emissions, red-hot glowing walls, phreatic (ground water eruptions), and even seismic events from deep within. The colossi in question are the Poas and Turri...

Just in time to beat the winter blues, Costa Rica’s summer season is beginning, offering affordable winter vacation destinations for northern travelers. Costa Rica is a fun and easy tropical adventure for winter sun-seekers. Miles of beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts make for great beach vacations. Rainforests, cloud forests and active volcanoes give you thrilling jungle adventur...

Poas Volcano crater in Costa RicaRecent volcanic activity along with sulphuric emissions and the heavy presence of noxious gases are prompting national park rangers in Costa Rica to take precautions with regard to visitors. Volcano tourism is very popular in Costa Rica during this season, and some of the most-visited volcanoes are certainly showing off their natural beauty, but officials are cont...

Source: OVSICOR As the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica reawakens from a two-year slumber, digital photographers are rushing to capture stunning pictures of the spectacular steam column, vapor trails and overall beauty of the prettiest colossus in our country. Most of these photographs, however, are not being taken with expensive digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) equipment; instead, they ar...

Source: OVSICORI Last Sunday morning, neighbors of La Fortuna in the northwest region of the Alajuela province, woke up to an eruption of monetary anticipation. The Arenal Volcano, one of Costa Rica's most iconic tourist spots, finally came alive after two years of sheer inactivity with a spectacular steam column and lingering vapor plumes. Whereas many residents saw a typical reaction by t...

Mountain bikers around the world: There’s a new adventure race happening in August in Costa Rica – the 100-mile Rincón de la Vieja Challenge. The mountain bike endurance race is set for Aug. 24, 2013, starting off from Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin at Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste. The 100-mile race is the first of its kind in Costa Rica and Latin America, and according to race promote...

Don’t miss out on the Costa Rica vacation of a lifetime. Enter the Arenal Volcano Adventure Sweepstakes and Go Visit Costa Rica will bring your dream of a Costa Rica vacation to reality. Win a weekend away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, and enjoy the biodiversity of Costa Rica. Get lost in the epic wildlife, culture and beauty on a Costa Rica vacation. The Arenal Volcano Adventure...

You can view more pictures related to this article on The Costa Rica Star Facebook page. During our recent visit to Costa Rica, we planned two and a half days at the Arenal volcano area. My wife wanted to relax in some hot spring pools and hike some trails. We searched the internet for lodging that would be reasonable and close to the activities surrounding the volcano. We came across Lo...

TILARAN, Costa Rica – The Volcano Brewing Company, Costa Rica's First and only Microbrewery Hotel, is offering a special promotion for guests who wish to take advantage of a unique green season experience. Starting at $89 per person, based on double occupancy, guests can enjoy a full day of an all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink vacation at their farm-fresh restaurant and microbrewery lakeview h...

If you are planning on visiting our imposing volcanoes during Easter Week, the National Council on Emergencies (CNE in Spanish) wants you to take exercise extra caution. There are currently  five active volcanoes in Costa Rica now, and some have been acting up lately. The seismic and volcanic research departments at the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and the National University (UNA) are ke...