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Rincón de la Vieja Volcano

Rincon de la Vieja

Complex volcano · Costa Rica · 1729m

Part of the complex summit region of Rincón de la Vieja, the largest volcano in NW Costa Rica, is seen here from the north. Steam rises from the lake-filled Cráter Activo to the left, ENE of the Von Seebach cone (right). Laguna Fria (far-left) is not a crater lake, but a freshwater lake that formed between overlapping cones of the summit complex, which extends east and west beyond this area. Frequent eruptions from Cráter Activo have left surrounding terrain unvegetated.
Part of the complex summit region of Rincón de la Vieja, the largest volcano in NW Costa Rica, is seen here from the north. Steam rises from the lake-filled Cráter Activo to the left, ENE of the Von Seebach cone (right). Laguna Fria (far-left) is not a crater lake, but a freshwater lake that formed between overlapping cones of the summit complex, which extends east and west beyond this area. Frequent eruptions from Cráter Activo have left surrounding terrain unvegetated. · Photo: Photo by Federico Chavarria Kopper, 1999. · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Complex volcano
Country
Costa Rica
Region
Middle America-Caribbean Volcanic Regions / Central America Volcanic Arc
Elevation
1729m
Coordinates
10.831, -85.336
Last eruption
2024
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Geological summary

Rincón de la Vieja is a volcanic complex in the Guanacaste Range of NW Costa Rica. Sometimes referred to as the Rincon de la Vieja-Santa María Volcanic Complex, it consists of a slightly arcuate 20-km-long ridge of 12 craters and pyroclastic cones constructed within the 15-km-wide early Pleistocene Guachipelín caldera, whose rim is exposed on the south side. Sometimes known as the "Colossus of Guanacaste," it has an estimated volume of 130 km3 and contains at least nine major eruptive centers. The Santa María cone, the highest peak of the complex, is located on the E side of the ridge and has a lake within the 400-m-diameter crater. A Plinian eruption producing the 0.25 km3 Río Blanca tephra about 3,500 years ago was the last major magmatic eruption. All subsequent eruptions, including numerous reported eruptions possibly dating back to the 16th century, have been from the active crater, near the center of the complex, with an acidic 300-m-diameter lake.

From Wikipedia

Rincón de la Vieja is an active andesitic complex volcano in north-western Costa Rica, about 23 km (14 mi) from Liberia, in the province of Guanacaste.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
1820 BCE~1628 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 4293~485 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1445~1637 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1637~1829 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21829~2021 · 30 eruptions · max VEI 31820 BCE860 BCE1018691829

Detailed timeline

  1. 2021VEI 2Observed
    2021-06-28 – 2024-10-22
  2. 2020VEI 2Observed
    2020-01-30 – 2020-12-13
  3. 2018VEI 1Observed
    2018-07-28 – 2019-06-11
    Crater lake
  4. 2017VEI 1Observed
    2017-05-23 – 2018-03-15
    Crater lake
  5. 2015VEI 1Observed
    2015-06-16 – 2016-05-01
    Crater lake
  6. 2014VEI 1Observed
    2014-09-17 – 2014-10-24
    Crater lake
  7. 2012VEI 1Observed
    2012-10-17 – 2012-10-17
    Crater lake
  8. 2012VEI 1Observed
    2012-02-19 – 2012-04-14
    Crater lake
  9. 2011VEI 1Observed
    2011-08-22 – 2011-09-27
    Crater lake
  10. 1998VEI 2Observed
    1998-02-15 – 1998-09-16
  11. 1995VEI 2Observed
    1995-11-06 – 1995-11-13
  12. 1991VEI 2Observed
    1991-05-07 – 1992-09-16
  13. 1987VEI 1Observed
    1987-04-01 – 1987-04-01
  14. 1986VEI 1Observed
    1986-12-31 – 1986-12-31
  15. 1985VEI 1Observed
    1985-09-16 – 1986-04-16
  16. 1984VEI 2Observed
    1984-03-31 – 1984-04-16
  17. 1983VEI 1Observed
    1983-02-06 – 1983-02-21
  18. 1970VEI 1Observed
    1970-08-14 – 1970-08-15
  19. 1969VEI 2Observed
    1969-04-22 – 1969-05-16
  20. 1969VEI 2Observed
    1969-09-20 – 1969-10-16
  21. 1966VEI 3Observed
    1966-11-06 – 1967-12-16
  22. 1922VEI 2Observed
    1922-04-11 – 1922-06-04
  23. 1917VEI ?Geological estimate
    1917 – Ongoing
  24. 1912VEI 3Observed
    1912-06-14 – Ongoing
  25. 1902VEI 2Geological estimate
    1902-06-22 – Ongoing
  26. 1854VEI 2Observed
    1854 – 1863-08
  27. 1853VEI 2Observed
    1853 – Ongoing
  28. 1851VEI ?Geological estimate
    1851 – Ongoing
  29. 1849VEI 2Geological estimate
    1849 – Ongoing
    Volcano Uncertain: more likely Rincón de la Vieja than Orosí
  30. 1844VEI 2Geological estimate
    1844-05 – Ongoing
    Volcano Uncertain: more likely Rincón de la Vieja than Orosí
  31. 1765VEI 2Observed
    1765 – Ongoing
  32. 1529VEI ?Geological estimate
    1529 – Ongoing
  33. 430 (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    430 – Ongoing
  34. 1820 BCE (±150 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    BCE 1820 – Ongoing

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.