Turrialba volcano, Costa Rica
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Turrialba volcano, Costa Rica
The summit crater complex of Turrialba volcano is seen here from the north, with the Central Valley of Costa Rica in the background.
Three well-defined craters can be seen at the upper SW end of a broad 800 x 2200 m wide summit depression that is breached to the NE.
Turrialba has been quiescent since a series of explosive eruptions during the 19th century that were sometimes accompanied by pyroclastic flows.
Hydrothermally altered ground can be seen at the central and SW summit craters (right), where fumarolic activity continues.
Turrialba, the easternmost of Costa Rica's Holocene volcanoes, is a large vegetated basaltic-to-dacitic stratovolcano located across a broad saddle NE of Irazu volcano overlooking the city of Cartago.
The massive 3340-m-high Turrialba is exceeded in height only by Irazu, covers an area of 500 sq km, and is one of Costa Rica's most voluminous volcanoes.
Three well-defined craters occur at the upper SW end of a broad 800 x 2200 m wide summit depression that is breached to the NE.
Most activity at Turrialba originated from the summit vent complex, but two pyroclastic cones are located on the SW flank.
Five major explosive eruptions have occurred at Turrialba during the past 3500 years.
A series of explosive eruptions during the 19th century were sometimes accompanied by pyroclastic flows.
Fumarolic activity continues at the central and SW summit craters.
PHOTO SOURCE: Photo by Federico Chavarria Kopper, 1999. courtesy of the Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, used with permission.
NOTE: The information regarding Volcano on this page is re-published from other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Volcano information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Volcano photos should be addressed to the copyright owner noted below the photo.
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