Geosphere Journal Entry
Geosphere Journal Entry
Arenal Erupts in Costa Rica (May 27, 2010)
View of Arenal volcano in Costa Rica. Wikimedia Commons.
Costa Rica's Arenal volcano erupted this week with streams of fiery lava, clouds of ash and toxic gas spewing from its crater. The eruption triggered an evacuation of Arenal National Park, found 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of San Jose. The volcano is one of the nation's most popular tourist attractions.
Arenal is one of the youngest volcanoes in Costa Rica, with eruptions dating back only about 7,000 years. It's also one of the nation's most active and dangerous. In 1968, a violent explosion destroyed the town of Tabacon, killing 89 people. The volcano has had several smaller eruptions since then.
The volcano is a steeply-sloped composite or stratovolcano, built up over thousands of years from alternating layers of lava and other volcanic material. It's one of many volcanoes found in the region where the Cocos, Nazca, and Caribbean tectonic plates meet in Central America.
