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Report on Irazu (Costa Rica) — 8 July-14 July 2020


Irazu

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 8 July-14 July 2020
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2020. Report on Irazu (Costa Rica) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 8 July-14 July 2020. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (8 July-14 July 2020)

Irazu

Costa Rica

9.979°N, 83.852°W; summit elev. 3436 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


OVSICORI-UNA reported that at 2138 on 12 July the seismic network at Irazú recorded a significant landslide, possibly in the N part of the crater. The event could not be confirmed because of weather conditions. Another landslide event was recorded at 1538 on 13 July, which again could not be visually confirmed.

Geological Summary. The massive Irazú volcano in Costa Rica, immediately E of the capital city of San José, covers an area of 500 km2 and is vegetated to within a few hundred meters of its broad summit crater complex. At least 10 satellitic cones are located on its S flank. No lava effusion is known since the eruption of the Cervantes lava flows from S-flank vents about 14,000 years ago, and all known Holocene eruptions have been explosive. The focus of eruptions at the summit crater complex has migrated to the W towards the main crater, which contains a small lake. The first well-documented eruption occurred in 1723, and frequent explosive eruptions have occurred since. Ashfall from the last major eruption during 1963-65 caused significant disruption to San José and surrounding areas. Phreatic activity reported in 1994 may have been a landslide event from the fumarolic area on the NW summit (Fallas et al., 2018).

Source: Observatorio Vulcanologico y Sismologico de Costa Rica-Universidad Nacional (OVSICORI-UNA)