Arenal Volcano - La Fortuna Costa Rica

Arenal Volcano

I visited Arenal Volcano located in the district of La Fortuna the northwestern side of Costa Rica. The Arenal Volcano is located near the border of two tectonic plates; the Cocos Plate and the Caribbean Plate. The creation of the Arenal Volcano and the many other volcanoes in Costa Rica area are a result of “the subduction of the Cocos tectonic plate under the Caribbean Plate” (Ball, n.d., Arenal Volcano: Plate Tectonic Setting). While the volcano has been dormant since 2010, an eruption in 1968 left surrounding cities in ruin with unfortunate casualties for the local Costa Rican population (Ball, n.d.). In the years between 1968 and 2010 the volcano continued to erupt in less violent ways with pahoehoe flows of lava oozing from the sides, or small gas eruptions that send rapidly dried lava rolling down the side of the volcano. These basalt boulders cover the side of Arenal and also create a field of dried lava that has made its way from the tip of the volcano to the base. The volcano has led to tourism in the surrounding towns like La Fortuna who provide tourists with hiking trips around the base of the volcano and relaxing dips in the natural hot springs the volcano creates. As for the danger of Arenal to ever erupt violently again, the volcano is still active but in a resting period. Arenal has had several resting periods in its estimated 7,500-year life span but could still be dangerous to towns at its base if an explosive eruption occurs once more.

La Fortuna City Center with Arenal Volcano

References

Ball, J. (n.d.). Arenal Volcano (Volcan Arenal), Costa Rica. Retrieved from https://geology.com/volcanoes/arenal/