The National Emergency Commission (CNE) denied an audio warning about greater measures due to the constant eruptions of the Rincón de la Vieja volcano. “According to the experts, a large eruption is NOT expected in the short period at the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano. We deny an audio that circulates on social media and alerts the population”, he emphasized.
It also makes a call to remain calm and that, in the event that the volcano changes the In addition, the Commission ruled out that preparation workshops are being held in the event of an eruption, in the community of Quebrada Grande in Liberia. For now, the CNE maintains the green alert for the districts of Dos Ríos and AguasClaras in Upala, as well as the districts of Mayorga, CañasDulces and Curubandé.
The volcano activity
“The Rincón de la Vieja volcano has behaved normally since 2011 and we do not foresee major eruptions”, say the experts. According to Mauricio Mora, from the National Seismological Network (RSN), the massif began an active phase since November 2022 that has been maintained. “The volcano was active in the 1990s and it was in 2011 that it returned to eruptive activity. It has a process of ups and downs, with very active months and calm others”, he explained. “What we are seeing is a similar activity, with eruptions of a few kilometers of eruptive column, the ejected material belongs to the lake and goes down towards some rivers”, added Mora.
Only in May, the official data from the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (Ovsicori) indicates that Rincón de la Vieja made 58 eruptions; out of them, 7 were moderate. “Since November, an increase in many parameters has been observed, such as the fastest deformation of the volcanic edifice, but it is an activity similar to what has been recorded”, said Javier Pacheco, an Ovsicori expert. “The magmatic content of the elements ejected by the volcano was measured and it was determined that only 5% is due to the interaction of the magma with the hydrothermal system”, he emphasized.
Magmatic gases are present
As an example, he indicated that in May 2017, the largest eruption and the highest magmatic content –with concentration of 40%– was recorded. “Likewise, the eruptions are caused by magmatic gases that rise to the surface and combine with the hydrothermal system. It is the same behavior of the last 6 years”, affirmed Pacheco. He also pointed out that in case of significant changes, they have the instruments to measure and inform the population of major eruptions.
