I have written in the past about the colossal Turrialba Volcano located about two hours from San Jose in the area with the same name.  It is some 11,000 feet high making it the second highest in the country (the highest being Irazu).  Turrialba has in the past been the only volcano that you could actually descend down into the active crater.  Well right now they won’t even allow you to drive up to the crater.  In fact, the volcano is closed for now due to the toxic gases that are being emitted from the crater and blown in the direction of park visitors.  These gases can cause a variety of ailments if one is overexposed such as effects on vision, hearing, smell and general nausea.  The gas that is of particular concern in SO2 or sulphur dioxide. This is a colorless gas with a particular foul odor.  Also present is hydrochloric acid, a corrosive yet nonflammable gas.  This time of the year the winds blow the gases to the south and southeast, directly in the direction of park visitors and workers.  Park officials say that there is no cause for concern such as an eminent eruption.  They just do not want to take unnecessary risks with the health of their personnel, nor the park visitors.  However, vulcanologist are nevertheless keeping a close eye on the volcano to detect changes in the levels of gas that might indicate something is brewing under the surface. For the moment, it appears that the closing is just a matter of the wind and as soon as the winds change direction the park will reopen and visitors will once again be welcome to see one of Costa Rica’s most impressive sites.  For more information on tours to the Turrialba area or Costa Rica vacations in general, please contact us at Package Costa Rica.

Link to Article in La Nación (in Spanish)

Link to Turrialba Volcano Slideshow

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 at 4:55 am and is filed under Costa Rica Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.