Volcanology of Costa Rica - NSTA 2010

GEOLOGÍA, VOLCANOLOGÍA Y SISMOLOGÍA

Red Sismológica National (UCR-ICE)Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR)

Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE)

Volcanólogos

Carlos José Ramirez

Seismic cross-sections

Historic earthquakes M > 5

TurrialbaIrazú

Poás Barva

Arenal

Miravalles

Rincón de la Vieja

Subduction85 mm/yr

Tenorio

Subduction65 mm/yr

• First Volcanological Observatory on Central America (1964)

• Central America School of Geology, UCR (1970)

• Center for Geophysics Reseach, CIGEFI (1979)

• National Seismological Network (ICE-UCR, 1974)

Seismometer

TURRIALBAVOLCANO

3339 m Altitude3 craters2 activeLast eruption 1864-66

CRATERS AT TURRIALBA VOLCANO

Cráter Noreste

Fumaroles

Carrying Equipment on the Field

Ooh Ooh!

Mass Spectrometer

New fumarolic activity at southeast crater

Plume of gases

IRAZÚVOLCANO

3342 m

FUMAROLES90 °C

Irazú Crater

Diego de la HayaCrater

Main Crater

Diameter ± 1000 m

Deep ± 250 m

Lagoon Diameter ± 150 m

Lagoon 14 to 20 m depth

pH 3.5 to 4.5, 18 to 25 °C

Northeast fumaroles

±90 ºC

Seismic and Faults around Irazú and Turrialba Volcanoes

1960

Similar Changes 3 years before

eruption

January, 2003 Febraury 9, 2003

1963-65

Eruptions Time

Irazú Volcano

(1964)

Ash Collectors

Barva Lagoon

Danta Lagoon

Copey Lagoon

BARVA VOLCANIC COMPLEX

3 Lagoons

Laguna Copey

Barva CraterDiameter ± 145m

pH 4, ± 19 °C

Diameter ± 100m

pH 4, ± 18 °C

DANTACRATER

POÁSCRATER

BOTOSCRATER

PLUME AFFECTEDAREA

POÁS VOLCANO> 500.000 visitors / year

Parking Lot

Crater Diameter ± 1320 m

Deep ± 350 m

Lagoon Diameter ± 350 m

Lagoon 40 to 55 m depth

pH 0, 25 to 48 ºC surface

Dome

95 °C

Eruption period

1984-89

Red Sulphur>220 ºC, pH 0

Fumarole Pipe

Pyroclastic Sulphur from Pipes

BEFORE

NOW

Poas Pele Hair

Sulphur Flow

Sulphur Flow

Temperature vs pHHiperacid Hot Lake Poás

37.0

45.3

38.0

45.4

40.0

38.0

35.5

34.0

36.0

33.034.0

33.032.0

34.0

36.035.0

33.0

39.640.0

37.3

32.0

29.3

25.626.526.0

25.0

28.730.0

32.0

30.030.0

35.034.1

38.138.138.0

30.9

34.3

32.0

36.0

33.5

28.0

25.026.0

21.0

25.826.0

29.0

31.7

41.5

39.8 39.540.1

37.0

34.032.8

34.8

26.726.3

24.5

22.322.4

24.123.623.623.10 0 0 0 0 0

0.5

1 1

0.7

0.5

0.860.90.86

0.60.7

0.8

0

0.5

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1.8

1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1

0

1 1 1 1 1

0 0

1 1 1

0.50.5

1.88

1.5

1

0

1 1 1 1

0.5

0

0.50.50.50.50.5

0

0.5

20

25

30

35

40

45

Ago-98 Feb-99 Ago-99 Feb-00 Ago-00 Feb-01 Ago-01 Feb-02 Ago-02 Feb-03 Ago-03 Feb-04

Tem

pera

ture

(C)

-0.2

0.3

0.8

1.3

1.8

(pH)

Temperatura

pH

Lake

Sampling

Change of color during the seasons

Emerald

Rain and sediment

Turquoise

Tepha Deposits

Eruption

17 – 25 may 1953

Elaboration of Hazard Maps

Botos Lagoon

14 m depth

12 °C Temperature

Diving for collect

Gas Sampling

Fumaroles Area

ARENAL VOLCANO

1100 m Height

37 years continuous activity (1968-2005)

One of the 16 most active volcanoes in the world

Historic pictures from Arenal 1968Historic pictures from Arenal 1968

Destroyed town of Pueblo Nuevo

78 death people

Bomb

Impact craters

1968 EruptionArenal Volcano

(92 Death)

Magma Chamber

>10 km down

Crater CCrater D

Fortuna town

6 km from the volcano

10.000 people

± 120 km / h

>400 ºC

Pyroclastic Flows

1998

Hot Spring Spa’s at 800 m

National Seismological Network

Arenal Research Center?

NO, is the Hot Spring Spa, at 4 km

Volcanic bomb of ± 10 m diameter

Lava front collapse

Geological Map

Dry Tiltmeter Network

200000

500

1000

500 1000 1500 30002500 3500 4000 4500

1500

2000

Con Sobrecarga F.S.=1.06Estática F.S.= 1.09

Seudoestática F.S.=0.64

Seudoestática F.S.=0.77Con Sobrecarga F.S.=1.14Estática F.S.= 1.18

Volcanic Stability Analysis

Geochemestry of Hot and Cold Springs

Geological Mapping in volcanic areas

Miravalles

Volcano

VOLCAN MIRAVALLES GEODESIC NETWORK

Geothermal Electricity Plants at Miravalles Volcano

Rincon de la Vieja

Volcano

Fumaroles 90 °C

Water pH 2

Temperature 25 – 30 °C

Bijagua

Río Naranjo

Cañas

Tilarán

Fortuna

Bagaces

G uayabo

-85.50 -85.40 -85.30 -85.20 -85.10 -85.00 -84.90 -84.80 -84.70 -84.60

10.35

10.40

10.45

10.50

10.55

10.60

10.65

10.70

10.75

10.80

10.85

10.90

Miravalles V.

Tenorio V.

Arenal V.

Liberia

G uayabo

Rincón dela Vieja V.

Arenal Lagoon

Seismicity of the Guanacaste Volcanoes

R/V Atlantis

Woods Hole Oceanographic

Institute

ALVIN

Submarine

METEOR M66GEOMAR

ROV Quest (MARUM, Bremen)

Volatiles and Fluids in

Subduction Zones : Climate feedback and trigger

mechanisms for natural disasters

An overview.

3 Themes, each with 4 Subprojects

A Input, subduction processes and structure

B Volatiles and fluids in the forearc (continental slope)

C Volatile transfer through the volcanic arc into the atmosphere

9°30’9°20’

9°10’9°00’

8°50’8°40’

-2000

0

85°90’85°80’

85°70’85°60’

85°50’85°00

84°90’84°80’

Nicoya Slump

Tectonic oversteepening at erosive convergent margins:example: Costa Rica

SFB 574, Collaborative Research CentreVolatiles and Fluids in Subduction Zones

Nicoya Slump

-2000

0

9°30’9°20’

9°10’9°00’ 85°90’

85°80’85°70’

85°60’85°50’

84°00

slope failure caused by ridge and seamount subduction likely a single, catastrophic (tsunamigenic) event


9°30’9°20’

9°10’9°00’

8°50’8°40’

-2000

0

85°90’85°80’

85°70’85°60’

85°50’85°00

84°90’84°80’

Nicoya Slump

Jaco Scarp



Jaco Scarp

-2000

0

9°50’9°00’

8°50’85°50’

85°00’84°50’

continous slope indentation and failure caused by seamount subduction in a series of small scale slide events


9°30’9°20’

9°10’9°00’

8°50’8°40’

-2000

0

85°90’85°80’

85°70’85°60’

85°50’85°00

84°90’84°80’

Nicoya Slump

Jaco Scarp

small scaleslumping



Volcanology of Costa Rica - NSTA 2010

Education

erosive convergent margins

subduction zones

seamount subduction

crater

ucr

fluids

volatiles