Country:

Costa Rica

Subregion Name:

close to San Jose

Volcano Type:

Stratovolcano

Volcano Status:

Historical

Last Eruption:

1994 

Summit Elevation:

3432 m

Latitude:

9.979°N

Longitude:

83.852°W

Irazú, Costa Rica's highest volcano and one of its most active, rises to 3432 m immediately east of the capital city of San José. The massive volcano covers an area of 500 sq km and is vegetated to within a few hundred meters of its broad flat-topped summit crater complex. At least 10 satellitic cones are located on the southern flank of Irazú. No lava flows have been identified from Irazú since the eruption of the massive Cervantes lava flows from south-flank vents about 14,000 years ago, and all known Holocene eruptions have been explosive. The focus of eruptions at the summit crater complex has migrated to the west towards the historically active crater, which contains a small lake of variable size and color. Although eruptions may have occurred around the time of the Spanish conquest, the first well-documented historical eruption occurred in 1723, and frequent explosive eruptions have occurred since. Ashfall from the last major eruption of Irazú during 1963-65 caused significant disruption to San José and surrounding areas.