Arenal Volcano

Arenal is a quintessential volcano, with a tall (1,633 m.; 5,357 ft.), massive cone, that erupts nearly every day. Geologists considered Arenal to have been extinct, last active in the 14th Century, until 7:30 in the morning on July 29, 1968, when a huge explosion and eruption wiped out several towns and killed 87 people.

On many days, visitors can see the rock slides down down the side of the volcano, even from a distance as far away as the vantage point from where I took the second photo. Most days, there are clouds covering up the top of the volcano. The top photo shows Arenal on a clear day. The second photo shows a cloudy day.

At night, if it is clear, the eruptions of red lava are visible, sometimes looking like fireworks shooting into the air. During the next few days I will show some more photos of Arenal on clear days, including a night shot of lava flowing down the mountain.

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.

"March" of the cascading roots

These roots seem to be marching, or perhaps slithering, down the slope in Rincon de la Vieja National Park. Hollywood could perhaps turn them into creatures in a movie.

This photo, in combination with my posts from previous days, should give an idea of the diversity of plant life in the park. There are dry forest plains in the area with the volcancitas and fumaroles, and there is a dense cloud forest, such as the area shown in this picture, at a slightly higher elevation just a short hike from the dry forest plains. On July 5th, I posted a photo of a tree with a flying butress trunk from the same area of the forest.

The plants in the park include the most plentiful growth in the wild of the orchid that is the national flower of Costa Rica, the guaria morada (cattleya skinneri). At higher elevations, the park has barren volcanic craters.

I will show more photos from the park in the future, including some of the waterfalls, but not right away. Tomorrow, I will resume showing more of the wildlife in Palo Verde National Park, starting with a crocodile.

More volcanic steam

This photo should give an idea of the amount of volanic steam that bubbles up in some of the fumaroles in Rincon de la Vieja National Park. The steam results from underwater reserviors of water that become super heated due to the geothermal activity, and the water finds fissures to work its way up to the surface.

On the surface, there are pools of hot, muddy water that bubble and let off steam. The water can be grey and thick, but some mud pots are reddish. They usually have a sulfur smell.

Rincon de la Vieja is located just 25 km (15 miles) northeast of Liberia, which is the capital of the Guanacaste province. The addition of international flights into Liberia about 8 years ago is responsible for the enormous grown of tourism development along the Pacific resort areas such as Tamarindo.

Plant thriving on volcanic fumes

Some plants are remarkably adaptive to be able to live in diverse environments, including those we might think are inhospitable. This branch was growing directly above the fumarole shown in yesterday's photo. It apparently is not bothered by the repulsive fumes that surround it.

The seed pods on this plant are also unusual. They look like acorns stuffed with cotton. I believe that this is what is known as a buttercup tree, sometimes called a cotton tree, and locally referred to as poro-poro. Its scientific name is cochlospermun vitifolium.

It grows to a height of 8-10 meters, or 25-33 feet. It is a dry forest plant, growing commonly in Central America in plains areas, but not in a dense forest under the canopy of higher trees. It loses its leaves in January and February, which is part of the dry season. It later bursts into color with bright yellow flowers.

Fumarole

As promised yesterday, here is a photo of one of the bubbling, sulfuric fumaroles in Rincon de la Vieja National Park. On June 1, I posted a photo of a sign warning people not to walk up close to one of the large pools that has temperatures above boiling. Small mud pots, such as this one, are right along the hiking trails and visitors can get very close.

Tomorrow, I will post a photo of the unusual plant that was growing right above the steam vent shown in this picture, apparently thriving on the fumes that we humans would avoid.

Volcanic steam

Geothermal steam looms behind the trees in Rincon de la Vieja National Park. The park has the craters of nine volcanoes, ranging in height up to 1,800 m/5,900 ft, but only one is active (and not in the last 10 years). The park has many hot sulfur springs, bubbling mud pots, and fumaroles, one of which will be the subject of tomorrow's photo.

Rincon de la Vieja translates as "old woman's corner." I don't know why. It is a wonderfully diverse park, with many hiking trails, 32 rivers, cloud forests, dry forests, waterfalls, wildlife, and other attractions.

Volcano danger sign

Today's first-of-the-month worldwide Daily Photo Theme is "no" signs. Here is a sign that gives what should be an unnecessary warning to hikers not to walk near the steam vents and bubbling, gurgling mud pots releasing scorching heat from the Rincon de la Vieja volcano.

Note that the Costa Ricans have posted the sign in English as well as Spanish, a reflection of the country's focus on eco-tourism from English-speaking countries.

Rincon de la Vieja has hiking trails past the volcancitas and fumaroles, through a lush cloud forest to waterfalls, streams and opportunities to view wildlife and tropical plants.

It was a bit of a challenge to post a "no" sign to satisfy today's Daily Photo Theme Day. Tamarindo does not have a lot of "no" signs. It does not have any traffic lights or parking meters. The attitude towards life in Costa Rica is embodied in the national expression: "Pura Vida." Although it translates as "pure life," it is used in many of the the same ways that Hawaiians use "aloha."

Here is a link to a listing of the other Daily Photo websites participating in today's Theme Day: Click here to view thumbnails for all participants