Earthquake destruction and renewal

Because I do not have any real photos of earthquake damage, I use this photo to illustrate the process of the earth's continuing changes, and the renewal of life. This is a photo of the wall of the Irazu volcanic crater, where nothing grows, with a lush valley of vegetation growing in the distance.



This is a photo of the Irazu crater taken from the same spot at the same time as the above photo. The top photo zoomed in on the top of the crater wall on the right side of the second photo to capture the crater wall with the clouds and valley beyond.

At the risk of getting too symbolic, the volcanic crater, like the earthquake that struck Costa Rica last week, is a manifestation of the destructive power of the earth, yet life, even lush vegetation, co-exists and grows along side the destructive power of the earth.

The rebuilding of the areas of the central valley of Costa Rica hit by last week's earthquake is underway, and people are rebuilding their lives. Some families have suffered the irreplaceable loss of loved ones. The newspaper reported yesterday that three more bodies have been uncovered, bringing the death toll to 22. An additional tragedy happened overnight early Monday morning. There were five more earthquakes around 3-4 on the Richter scale, which did not cause any known physical damage, overnight. Again, the earthquakes were limited to the immediate area near Poas Volcano. A 17 year-old girl became so stressed from the repeated tremors, however, that she died.

Although Tamarindo is a long way from the area of the earthquake, and the earthquake was not even felt -- physically -- in Tamarindo or the northwest Pacific coast resort area of Costa Rica, I am sure that all Costa Ricans felt or were touched by the earthquake emotionally. Costa Rica is a small country. The population is only about 4 million people, and the land area is the size of the state of West Virginia or the country of Switzerland. Although I am an American, I feel I can comment that that the Tico sense of national pride in the country's achievements is paralleled in a shared sense of loss in times of peril.

There are two stories about the Irazu Volcano that I would like to share in light of the photos above. Irazu erupted on March 13, 1963 on the same day that the late President John F. Kennedy was in Costa Rica to attend a meeting of the Organization of American States. For a small country, a Presidential visit and a major volcanic eruption were two major news events on the same day.

Irazu got its name from an indigenous word, Istaru, which means "mountain of thunder." There is a native legend that a local chief sacrificed his daughter to the volcano god, and during a later battle with a neighboring tribe, the chief called upon the volcano god for help. The volcano erupted on the enemy, and the volcanic mudslides destroyed the village of the enemy.

Earthquake in Costa Rica

At the end of last week there was a terrible 6.2 magnitude earthquake in the central valley area of Costa Rica, 35 km. northwest of San Jose. That is a long way from Tamarindo, more than a 4 hour drive, and the earthquake could not be felt in Tamarindo. It caused extensive destruction and the tragic loss of life near the epicenter, with the Red Cross listing 19 dead and 89 missing, as of yesterday's newspaper.

Thousands were left without water and electricity and lived in areas cut off by damage to roads and bridges. The epicenter was 15 km east of Poas Volcano, one of the most-visited national parks in the country.

I do not have a photo of the earthquake scene or damage, but to illustrate the earthquake I am posting the photo above of the cracks in the earth's surface near the crater of Irazu Volcano, another large volcano near San Jose. Irazu is the largest and highest volcano in Costa Rica, with an elevation of 3,342 meters, or 11,260 feet. I do not know the geological explanation, but I assume that there is some connection to the fact that there are earthquakes and volcanic activity in Central America.

Earlier I posted photos and information about Irazu on October 6, 7 and 8, including
this link to a post that showed this photo of one of the 5 craters in the park.

Irazu volcano crater and lake

This is a closer view peering down into the lake inside one of the five craters of Irazu Volcano. The plant growing in the foreground is called a "poor man's umbrella," as its leaves are huge. In contrast to the lush vegetation in most of Costa Rica, only a few species of plants grow in the moonscape of the high volcanic craters.

There are many fumaroles in the national park, frequent emissions of clouds of steam, and frequent seismic activity at this active volcano.

Irazu volcano crater

This is a closer photo of the lake in the crater of Irazu volcano, which I showed yesterday. The lake is yellowish green in color because of the sulfuric content of the water.

The crater is 1,050 meters (3,444 ft.) in diameter and 300 meters (984 ft.) deep. That makes it the largest crater in Costa Rica. Bring a jacket if you plan to visit, as it is cool at the high elevation, otherwise you will be scurrying back to your car if it becomes windy.

The crater is a short walk from a parking area, so this is a convenient volcano to visit. There are hiking trails to the four other craters in the park.

Irazu volcano

This is a view of the one of the five craters in Parque Nacional Volcan Irazu (Irazu Volcano National Park), located in the central valley not far from the capital of San Jose. On clear days, it is possible to see across the entire country, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the summit, with is 3,430 meters (11,260 ft.).

Irazu gets its name from an Indian word, irstaru which appropriately means "mountain of thunder." There is a legend that an Indian chief sacrificed his daughter to the volcano gods, then later prayed to the gods for assistance in battling a neighboring tribe. The volcano gods answered his prayer by erupting, raining fire on the other tribe, and causing a mud slide to wipe out their village.

The volcano is active, although its last famous eruption occurred when U.S. President John F. Kennedy was in Costa Rica for a meeting of the Organization of American States in March 1963. I will show some closer photos of the crater during the days ahead.