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Costa Rica · Stratovolcano

Arenal Volcano

Arenal

Type
Stratovolcano
Elevation
1670m
Last eruption
2010
Arenal Volcano
Photo: Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Costa Rica
Region
Middle America & Caribbean / Central America Volcanic Arc
Elevation
1670m
Coordinates
10.463, -84.703
Last eruption
2010
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic andesite
Geological summary

Conical Volcán Arenal is the youngest stratovolcano in Costa Rica and one of its most active. The 1670-m-high andesitic volcano towers above the eastern shores of Lake Arenal, which has been enlarged by a hydroelectric project. Arenal lies along a volcanic chain that has migrated to the NW from the late-Pleistocene Los Perdidos lava domes through the Pleistocene-to-Holocene Chato volcano, which contains a 500-m-wide, lake-filled summit crater. The earliest known eruptions of Arenal took place about 7000 years ago, and it was active concurrently with Cerro Chato until the activity of Chato ended about 3500 years ago. Growth of Arenal has been characterized by periodic major explosive eruptions at several-hundred-year intervals and periods of lava effusion that armor the cone. An eruptive period that began with a major explosive eruption in 1968 ended in December 2010; continuous explosive activity accompanied by slow lava effusion and the occasional emission of pyroclastic flows characterized the eruption from vents at the summit and on the upper western flank.

From Wikipedia

Arenal Volcano is a recently active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica around 90 km (56 mi) northwest of San José, in the province of Alajuela, canton of San Carlos, and district of La Fortuna. The Arenal volcano stands 1,633 metres (5,358 ft) high. It is conically shaped with a crater 140 metres (460 ft) in diameter. Geologically, Arenal is considered a young volcano and it is estimated to be less than 7,500 years old. It is also known as "Pan de Azúcar", "Canaste", "Volcan Costa Rica", "Volcan Río Frío" or "Guatusos Peak".

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

28 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
5060 BCE~4826 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 44591 BCE~4357 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?4123 BCE~3889 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 43420 BCE~3186 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI 42952 BCE~2717 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 42483 BCE~2249 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 41780 BCE~1546 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI 41546 BCE~1312 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 41312 BCE~1077 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 4843 BCE~609 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 0609 BCE~375 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 4375 BCE~140 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI 4328~562 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 4562~797 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 4797~1031 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 41265~1499 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 41734~1968 · 4 eruptions · max VEI 35060 BCE3420 BCE1546 BCE941734

Detailed timeline

  1. 1968VEI 3Observed
    1968-07-29 – 2010-12-16
    W flank & summit
  2. 1922VEI 2Observed
    1922-10-05 – 1922-10-23
  3. 1915VEI 2Method not stated
    1915-02-05 – end unknown
  4. 1750 (±50 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    1750 – end unknown
    Summit and NW flank (A2 lava flows)
  5. 1440VEI 2Geological estimate
    1440 – end unknown
  6. 1400VEI 4Geological estimate
    1400 – end unknown
  7. 1030VEI 4Geological estimate
    1030 – end unknown
  8. 1020VEI 4Geological estimate
    1020 – end unknown
  9. 750 (±50 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    750 – end unknown
  10. 700VEI 4Geological estimate
    700 – end unknown
  11. 650 (±100 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    650 – end unknown
  12. 550VEI 4Geological estimate
    550 – end unknown
  13. 400VEI 4Geological estimate
    400 – end unknown
  14. 170 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    170 BCE – end unknown
  15. 270 BCEVEI 4Geological estimate
    270 BCE – end unknown
  16. 380 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    380 BCE – end unknown
  17. 830 BCE (±500 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    830 BCE – end unknown
  18. 1250 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    1250 BCE – end unknown
  19. 1450 BCEVEI 4Geological estimate
    1450 BCE – end unknown
  20. 1650 BCEVEI 4Geological estimate
    1650 BCE – end unknown
  21. 1770 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1770 BCE – end unknown
    Cerro Chato
  22. 2250 BCEVEI 4Geological estimate
    2250 BCE – end unknown
  23. 2800 BCEVEI 4Geological estimate
    2800 BCE – end unknown
  24. 3190 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    3190 BCE – end unknown
    Cerro Chato
  25. 3350 BCEVEI 4Geological estimate
    3350 BCE – end unknown
  26. 3900 BCEVEI 4Geological estimate
    3900 BCE – end unknown
  27. 4450 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    4450 BCE – end unknown
  28. 5060 BCE (±150 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    5060 BCE – end unknown

Nearby volcanoes

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.