Strong sulfur-gas emission continued from crater fumaroles in May. The crater lake, nearly dry since March, began to refill during the third week of May because of increased rainfall. Small pools coalesced to cover the entire crater floor, and warm mud was frequently ejected to several meters height from the center of the lake. The largest fumarole was in the crater's N sector, and other smaller ones were in the W and SE. Microseismicity decreased at the end of May and the volcano was considered by geologists to have returned to normal rainy season conditions. A new network of five digital seismometers was installed near the volcano by a joint RSN-French group.

Geological Summary. The broad vegetated edifice of Poás, one of the most active volcanoes of Costa Rica, contains three craters along a N-S line. The frequently visited multi-hued summit crater lakes of the basaltic-to-dacitic volcano are easily accessible by vehicle from the nearby capital city of San José. A N-S-trending fissure cutting the complex stratovolcano extends to the lower N flank, where it has produced the Congo stratovolcano and several lake-filled maars. The southernmost of the two summit crater lakes, Botos, last erupted about 7,500 years ago. The more prominent geothermally heated northern lake, Laguna Caliente, is one of the world's most acidic natural lakes, with a pH of near zero. It has been the site of frequent phreatic and phreatomagmatic eruptions since an eruption was reported in 1828. Eruptions often include geyser-like ejections of crater-lake water.

Information Contacts: R. Barquero, ICE.