The Rincón de la Vieja volcano in Costa Rica registered an explosive eruption on Friday, without affecting people or infrastructure, authorities reported.
The eruption of this volcano, located in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, and which culminates at 1,895 meters above sea level "reached about 2,500 meters above the summit, spewing from the lake (from the crater) mainly hot materials that are transported by rivers to the north face of the volcano," said geologist Blas Sánchez in a video released to the press by the National Emergency Commission (CNE).
“This volcano has registered eruptions throughout the week, although not as big as this one, and it has thrown material into the rivers, which gives it high activity,” Sánchez added. The CNE geologist pointed out that this type of eruption "suggests an increase in activity."
Visits to the volcano are prohibited, although they are carried out clandestinely. In this sense, the CNE warned against "illegal entry into the colossus. It is a very dangerous practice, especially when material falls down the slope," it said in a statement.
The volcano is currently at alert level 2 on a danger scale of 4, which means "significant" seismicity and small eruptions with "significant emission of acid gases", according to the Costa Rica Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (Ovsicori).
For the moment, the authorities have asked the inhabitants of the towns located on the north slope of the volcano not to go near the rivers and streams that descend from it due to possible contamination by the materials projected during the eruption. Costa Rica is home to 120 volcanoes, but only five of them are still active.
