Yesterday Volcan Arenal gave the residents and visitors an unexpected show.  At around 10:12am, lava spewed out of the cone and down the southwest side of the mountain finally stopping around 1000 meters above sea level. 

It is to no surprise that there is activity in the mountain, but typically the lava does not travel outside of the cone. It simply jumps out of the cone and back in to form a protuberance or bulge.  This time the pressure on the protuberance was too much and the lava broke through to form a pyrolclastic flow, which is an eruption of high-temperature gases, ash, and rocks.  This time of year brings a lot of seismic activity to the area causing quite a few opportunities for visitors to see some action. 

Although there was no dangerous threat, the scientists are going to keep a close eye on the volcano.  

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Filed under: Costa Rica News on September 19th, 2007