| The
spectacular incandescent mixture of hot ashes, rocks
& lava (nuée ardente) traveled at an estimate
initial speed of 200 kilometers per hour (125 mph)
for a distance of 850 meters (2,750 feet) and never
endangered the hotels and hot springs which are safely
located several kilometers away. As a comparison,
the Arenal August 2000 eruption was 2.5 kilometer
long (1.5 mile).
There
were no victims or property damage.
Nevertheless,
the Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención
de Emergencias (CNE) quickly declared a Green Alert
and evacuated and closed for 3 hours the Arenal National
Park, Volcano Lodge is one of the hotels with the
best views of the lava flow (see Arenal map).
All
is now back to normal and everything is re-opened
including the Arenal National Park. The volcano is
quite active with an average of 2 eruptions per hour
& hot rocks and lava tumbling down every 15 minutes
or so on the north and north-northwest face.
A
newswire by Associated Press inaccurately said that
that the event was "panicking nearby residents"
which we found funny and ridiculous, the hotels and
houses being miles away from the crater. The CNE and
local authorities are very strict in regards of where
activities and construction can take place and permits
takes months to obtain. Beside this major attraction
is way too important for Costa Rica's tourism industry
to risk unnecessarily the lives of residents and visitors.
The
tourists visiting the volcano will have stories for
their postcards and lots of photos because the weather
was perfect for volcano viewing today as it is often
the case early morning in rainy season in this region.
The ashes and smoke column.
The
Arenal Volcano is active almost every day since 1968
but events like this one are rare. Because the nearby
dam on the Arenal Lake is a major source of electricity
generation for Costa Rica and the fact that a volcano
active for such a long period is a bargain for scientist,
as well as one of the major tourist attraction of
this country, it is very closely monitored by a sophisticated
Seismological Network. In fact Mr. Fausto Alfaro the
regional director of the Ministerio del Ambiente y
Energía (Minae, Environment &
Energy Ministry) said that the volcano was under closer
observation since a few days because instruments were
signaling abnormal seismic activity and an avalanche
was suspected.
The
avalanches are not considered as eruptions by scientists
and the volcanic activity remains moderate with an
average of 41 eruptions a day as recorded in June
2003 by the OVSICORI.
Because
pyroclastic flows travel so fast, we ask visitors
to please respect the signs indicating the limit you
should not cross when hiking on the trails even if
the volcano seems quiet that day. Enjoy the show but
from a safe distance!
Source:
La Nacion, Costa Rica's national daily in Spanish, Observatorio
Vulcanológico y Sismológico (OVSICORI-UNA) |
