Irazú Volcano

Infobox Mountain
Name = Irazú Volcano
Photo = DirkvdM irazu 4.jpg| Caption = Irazú Crater
Elevation = convert|3432|m|ft|0|lk=off
Location = Costa Rica
Range = Cordillera Central
Prominence =
Coordinates = coord|9|58|48|N|83|50|60|W|type:mountain
Topographic

Type=Stratovolcano|Age=|Last eruption=1963
First ascent = | Easiest route = The Irazú Volcano ( _es. Volcán Irazú) is an active volcano in Costa Rica, situated in the Cordillera Central close to the city of Cartago. Its name is believed to be a corruption of "Iztarú", which was the name of an indigenous village on the flanks of the volcano. In Costa Rica it is known by the name of "Colossus" due to the catastrophes that it has provoked in the past. Irazú has erupted frequently in historical times—at least 23 times since its first well-recorded eruption in 1723. Its most famous recent eruption began in 1963 and continued until 1965. It began on the day US President John F. Kennedy started a state visit to Costa Rica and showered the capital San José and much of the central highlands of Costa Rica with ash.

Since the 1963–65 eruption, the volcano has been dormant, although frequent earthquake swarms show that magma is still moving about beneath the volcano. In 1994, a small phreatic eruption occurred, caused by heavy rains destabilising part of the volcano's flank, resulting in rapid decompression of a shallow hydrothermal system.

The volcano's summit has several craters, one of which contains Diego de la Haya, a green crater lake of variable depth. It is the highest active volcano in Costa Rica. It is easily visited from San José, with a road leading right up to the summit craters and a weekly bus service to the top. It is thus a popular tourist spot. The volcano summit also spots a few television transmitters for television stations in San José.

From the top it is claimed to be possible to see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on a clear day; however, such clear days are very rare indeed, and it is typical for the volcano's summit to be covered in cloud for much of the time.

See also

*List of volcanoes in Costa Rica
*Irazú Volcano National Park

References

*VNUM|1=1405-06=|2=Irazú
* [http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/south_america/costa_rica/irazu.html Volcano World: Irazú]

Pictures

External links

* [http://www.ovsicori.una.ac.cr/vulcanologia/volcanes/irazu.htm Costa Rican Vulcanologic and Seismologic Observatory: Irazú]
* [http://www.crrobs.org/ Hikes into Irazu in Costa Rica]
* [http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/wwp304/html/RyanGalt.html Virtual Reality Panorama of Volcán Irazú]