Volcano in Costa Rica

Rincon de la Vieja volcano: eruption status today

Updated

No eruption of Rincon de la Vieja is being reported right now Last eruption: 1964 or later; last significant eruption 1966 (NOAA NCEI).

Live status of Rincon de la Vieja: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.

Status now
No open report
Last eruption
1964 or later last significant: 1966
Elevation
1,916 m 6,286 ft
Type
Complex volcano
Earthquakes within 50 km
0 past 30 days (USGS)
Hot spots within 10 km
0 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
Nearest city
San José, Alajuela Province 25 km ENE

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Is Rincon de la Vieja erupting right now?

There is no open NASA EONET event for Rincon de la Vieja right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to 1964 or later, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 1966. Volcano observatories can raise alert levels before an eruption starts, so check the national observatory for the current alert level.

No satellite thermal hot spot was detected within 10 km of the summit in the latest NASA FIRMS data, so there is no sign of lava at the surface large enough for VIIRS to see (clouds can hide it).

Earthquakes near Rincon de la Vieja

USGS has no earthquake within 50 km of Rincon de la Vieja in the past 30 days. Outside the United States USGS mainly lists quakes above about M4, so small volcanic tremors recorded by the local observatory will not appear here.

About Rincon de la Vieja

Rincon de la Vieja is a complex volcano in Costa Rica, rising to 1,916 m (6,286 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".

Complex volcanoes have several vents or overlapping cones, so activity can shift between craters.

The nearest large town is San José, Alajuela Province, about 25 km ENE of the summit; 5 other cities lie within 250 km.

Flights and volcanic ash

No major hub airport is within 400 km (the closest is Cancún, 1147 km away), but ash clouds from explosive eruptions can drift for thousands of kilometres along flight routes.

Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) issue the official ash advisories that airlines and air traffic control follow.

Other volcanoes in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has 6 volcanoes on this site that erupted since 1900 or are active now, 1 of them with an open NASA activity report today. The closest other one is Miravalles, 21 km away.

Nearby volcanoes

Volcanoes in Costa Rica

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Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.