Through the use of drones, the Costa Rican Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (OVSICORI) built a virtual model to show the morphological changes suffered in Turrialba volcano between 2017 and 2019.
The analysis, prepared and published by volcanologists Cyril Muller and Geoffroy Avard, highlights that in those two years the depth of the active crater grew by about 20 meters and now exceeds 220 meters.
Turrialba is one of the most active massifs in the country whose eruptive phase increased as of 2014. Although in recent years there have been no emanations of gases and ashes as vigorous as at that time (with impacts in the Central Valley), the truth is that it has constant internal activity.
What were the main findings detected with this analysis?
-Erosion of the active crater.
-Erosion of the outer wall of the active crater.
-Tier of up to seven meters high on one of the walls.
-Widening of the crater in up to 220 meters in diameter.
-Extension of the crater 200 meters deep, about 20 meters more in two years.
-Three meters of additional deposit in the central crater.
A report published in February this year by Eliécer Duarte, a geologist from that same scientific entity, documented important changes in the volcanic crater after the intense activity recorded since 2010. He found that in 2012 the crater had a depth of 50 meters. However, after the events of recent years, the depth exceeds 300 meters.
In the crater, the changes include initial widening due to the destructive eruptions of the first months. But also the intermittent fall of portions of the walls, erosion and runoff.
Given the profound changes observed there are virtually no natural elements as a reference for comparative purposes. Everything is different.”