The cold water lagoon in the crater of the Irazú Volcano, which towers over Cartago to the east of San José, has disappeared.
According to reports by University of Costa Rica (UCR) scientists, the lake has been losing water steadily since 2005 and now has completely dried up.
UCR volcanologist Raúl Mora told the Spanish daily La Nación the lack of rain last year caused by the presence of the weather phenomenon El Niño helped provoke the lake´s disappearance. The lake was once nearly 30 meters deep and held roughly 500,000 cubic meters of water.
The last time the lake completely dried up was in 1991. A significant amount of water returned to the crater within a matter of months.
