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Irazú
Volcano National Park
At 3,432 meters above sea level, Irazú Volcano is the highest point in the
Central Volcanic Cordillera. The gently sloping southern flank with its
patchwork pattern of potatoes, cabbages, and other vegetable crops, replaced
by bucolic dairy farms at higher elevations, belies the violent past of this
sleeping behemoth that looms above the city of Cartago.
Upon nearing the summit the destructive forces of volcanism begin to become
more noticeable with the presence of scorched dead tree trunks that are still
standing. On top of Irazú you will find several deep craters in this barren
windswept terrain that is reminiscent of a moonscape. The high elevation
itself, being just above the tree line at this latitude, keeps the vegetation
from growing very tall, but the periodic devastating effects of eruptions help
to keep plant life rather sparse. Among the few species of birds that live in
this habitat are the aptly named Volcano Junco and Volcano Hummingbird.
As with all active volcanoes, the level and type of activity changes
periodically, often abruptly. Since the last series of eruptions, between
August of 1962 and March of 1965, Irazú's principal crater has only emitted
fumarole activity -- but things could change again at any time.
Getting there: From San José, take the PanAmerican Highway east to Cartago,
from where a good two-lane blacktop road (Highway 8) winds the remaining 34
km. up to the volcano's summit.
Climate: You can always spot the real tourists on Irazú, they're the ones
wandering around in shirt sleeves and Bermuda shorts -- and shivering to
death. Don't be fooled by the fact that Costa Rica is a tropical country, even
here it's cold at 3,400 meters (overnight lows below freezing are not
uncommon). The wind chill on the summit can add to the sensation, too, so
bring along several layers to assure comfort.
The top of Irazú Volcano receives relatively little precipitation, with an
annual average rainfall of just over two meters. The driest months are from
December to April.
History: The geological history of Irazú Volcano over the past tens of
millions of years has been deduced by geologists, but the first written record
we have of its volcanic activity only dates back to 1723 when the Spanish
Governor of Costa Rica, Diego de la Haya Fernández, chronicled an eruption
that began in February of that year. It was a spectacular eruption that threw
columns of smoke and ash into the air and sent chunks of incandescent rock
rolling down the sides of the volcano, all accompanied by much noise and
periodic seismic activity.
Since then, there are accounts of a dozen other eruptions, some equally
violent, others milder. The last series of events was from 1962 to 1965.
In August of 1962, Irazú began belching steam, and by early 1963 it was
producing such considerable amounts of ash and rock that people living and
farming on the upper slopes had to be evacuated. The prevailing easterly winds
eventually brought a fallout of volcanic ash over much of the Central Valley,
including the capital city of San José. It is said that the ash first began
to settle on the city the same day in March of 1963 that the former U.S.
President, John F. Kennedy, arrived in town to meet with the presidents of
Central America and promote his regional economic development plan known as
the Alliance for Progress -- an ominous portent indeed.
For the next two years, ash continued to drift down on the residents of San
José and much of the rest of the valley making life very unpleasant and
causing eye irritations and respiratory problems for many people. Finally, in
March of 1965, this period of volcanic activity subsided, and by 1966 a rock
plug had solidified and blocked off the vent -- at least until the next time.
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