Turrialba from last week to this Sunday

[Kerry Dressler]

Here are a few screen shots I took off the Oviscori site last week.  The highest that was registered for ash was 1 kilometer.  I keep both links (near and far) on my toolbar so I can check them out when we get a quake or before heading to town.  I'm at about 5000 ft and 30km or so from the volcano

[Sam Wilson]

Kerry,

Thanks for posting those!  Jajaja... so that's what Turrialba looks like without fog.

Gene, compared to boring Miravalles hot springs and fumaroles, I bet your boys

would get a kick out of seeing real stuff coming out of the bowels of the Earth

even if it is not red and doing the slow roll down the slope like Arenal used to do.

I do recall some sizable chunks of spewed rock being reported a fair bit away from

the crater last year or so.  Wear your hard-hats if you dare to venture close...  ;-)

--

Sam

[gene]

Thanks to both of you...

Sounds like an interesting day trip...y yes...the kids would love it

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[Kerry Dressler]

I'd also suggest the Lankester Botanical Gardens which is part of the University of Costa Rica.. I'm predjudiced as Bob, my husband worked there for 10 years before retiring, but it is a superb garden open 7 days aweek all year.  Lots o Orchids, a Japanese Garden (with a Bonsai exhibit and class the end of the month)  We live just around the corner from the Gardens and it is cool all year, a great view of Turrialba if it is going up and $10 /person for foreign visitors but less for DIMEX, kids and citizens.

[gene]

Another day trip!!!

I struck gold today!!!

Thanks for posting...

Gene

-------- Original message --------

From: Kerry Dressler <ke...@bio-photo.com>

Date: 4/16/18 6:04 PM (GMT-06:00)

To: Living in Costa Rica <costa-ri...@googlegroups.com>

[Sam Wilson]

Kerry,

While I was looking for an update on Proyecto Irazú, I came across some nice NASA stuff regarding v. Turrialba.  I'll try to consolidate the more interesting things a little later, but here's a neat article about NASA tossing their Dragon Eye UAV's (drones) into Turrialba's sulfur dioxide plume to study Turrialba's chemical environment.

NASA flies Dragon Eye unmanned aircraft into volcanic plume

Scientists believe computer models derived from this study will contribute to safeguarding the National and International Airspace System, improve global climate predictions, and mitigate environmental hazards (e.g., sulfur dioxide volcanic smog or “vog”) for people who live around volcanoes.

[ ... ]

To penetrate such dangerous airspace, UAVs, especially those with electric engines that ingest little contaminated air, are an emerging and effective way to gather crucial data about ash and gas concentrations and their lateral and vertical distribution.

[ ... ]

The volcanos of Costa Rica provide superb natural laboratories to test and develop these volcanological UAV systems. For instance, the Turrialba plume has relatively minimal updraft and wind shear. The continuously erupting plume consists primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapor, sulfur dioxide, some hydrogen sulfide and other minor gases, such as helium, and sulfate nano-particles at altitudes up to about 11,000 feet ASL. In addition, in the airspace around and over Turrialba volcano, commercial and private air traffic is very low.

Interesting!   ;-)

That just about has me motivated enough to get my little drone back out and take another tour of the farm from the comfort of my office.  My drone doesn't handle our winds very well so I don't often get a good chance to get out with it to practice my flying skills.

--

Sam

[Kerry Dressler]

I've been watching Oviscori for more info about Turrialba's exhaust..Thanks Sam for the info.  This was Thursday night.. the temps are climbing up again... before you would only see the heat in the Caldera.. now it is visible 1000m above the mountain..

[Sam Wilson]

Kerry,

RSN has a nice video on Youtube about Rincón de la Vieja, Turrialba, and Poas eruptions from last year.  I live on the side of Rincón de la Vieja and can't believe I totally missed its eruption with 3 meter wide hot streams of ash, sediments, and blocks, tumbling down its sides towards the Pénjamo and Sufrada river ravines less than a year ago.  :-(

Actividad Volcánica en Costa Rica

Gene -- I too miss the red lava flows at night while camping out by Arenal.  One night I swung awake in my hammock ALL night long taking video of the lava streams just to get a few good shots.  I'll be the local hotels and businesses REALLY miss Arenal's activity of years past.

--

Sam

[Sam Wilson]

It seems that it has been a common (at least 3+ times the past 50 years: 1969, 1975, 1987) when the 3 Costa Rican volcanos (Rincón, Poas, & Turrialba) became active at roughly the same time.  I think the theory is that a shift in the 2 tectonic plates that meet in Costa Rica, where the Cocos plate (from the west) is sliding under the Caribbean plate (in the east) happens to affect these 3 volcanos in roughly the same way.

These 2 tectonic plates colliding over the past 2 million years are largely responsible for what we know as Central America.  The former Farallon plate completely disappeared (sunk) as a result of this slow motion collision.  During this period, the old Talamanca mountain range was raised up to 12,500 ft ASL allowing for 2 ice ages on its summits.  At $31.50 USD a chapter, you can read all about it over on ScienceDirect...  jajaja.

Geomorphology and Volcanology of Costa Rica

Maybe we can find someone with Institutional credentials that can be used to access the full content for us pobres?  ;-) 

On a related blast from the past, I came across these old fotos in an archive of La Nacion, from the 1968 bit Arenal erruption which I'm sure many recognize.  Note the lava flow right through downtown (old) Arenal which is now under the lake for scuba divers only...

More than 80 people died in San Luis, Tabacón, and Pueblo Nuevo as a result of that erruption.

I live between v. Miravalles and v. Rincón de la Vieja in what I think is a pretty decent spot to

ride out lava flows from either direction.  Assuming I don't get burned alive or fall to toxic gases,

there are large natural ravines that should direct any such flows down the mountain before they

would cover my house.  That being said, I think I'll go out and clean out my ditches.  Of course

I must do that before the rainy season anyway.  ;-)

--

Sam

[Kerry Dressler]

Turrialba Watch Monday 21 May 2018

[Sam Wilson]

Kerry,

Beautiful foto of the morning plume!  That looks pretty forceful...  I'll bet those

living nearby can clearly hear the low rumble/roar when Turrialba lets loose.

--

Sam