New eruption of the Rincón de la Vieja volcano in Costa Rica | CNN

The exact moment the volcano erupts 0:54

(CNN Spanish) -

In Costa Rica, a new eruption of the Rincón de la Vieja volcano, one of the most active in this country, was recorded this Monday.

According to the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI), the explosion occurred at 5:42 a.m., local time, and lasted three minutes, in which it released material that reached nearby rivers.

OVSICORI surveillance cameras, located in areas near the volcano, recorded the moment of the eruption.

According to Javier Pacheco, a seismologist at OVSICORI, this eruption is one of the most powerful, similar to the one recorded in 2011.

The OVSICORI reported ash fall to the north and northwest of the crater at the points known as Gavilán de Dos Ríos and Bromelias, without major damage.

The volcano is located in the national park of the same name, located in the provinces of Guanacaste and Alajuela.

According to Pacheco, the path that leads to the top has been closed for 10 years due to the activity of the massif.

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Pacheco also explained to CNN that the plume from this eruption reached almost four kilometers in height with the release of seismic and sonic energy.

He added that, after the eruptions of 1994 and 1995, the volcano's activity decreased until it gained strength again in 2011.

According to the seismologist, 1,400 phreatic eruptions were recorded in 2020, so named due to the conversion of water in a liquid state to vapor due to contact with a hot body such as, in this case, a gas bubble or hot rock.

The activity of the volcano is constantly monitored by the OVSICORI, and can be followed in real time on the website http://www.ovsicori.una.ac.cr