volcanic eruptions

A series of minor tremors, or microseisms, occurring since December has residents of several communities near Costa Rica's Irazú Volcano on alert.

A Yellow Alert is still in effect for the cantons of Turrialba and Alvarado, according to a statement from the National Emergency Commission on Tuesday. National Seismological Network volcanologist Carlos Ramírez told The Tico Times that twice as much ash fell in the eruption at 9:24 p.m. Monday than during the Oct. 29 and 30 eruptions.

Seeing an active volcano is one of Costa Rica’s main attractions for both local and foreign tourists, but people in the country’s NorthEast area are risking the lives of travelers by taking groups of them just meters away from craters at distances that could be fatal if an eruption or a gas explotion occurs.

The October eruption of the Turrialba Volcano may have implications beyond Costa Rica. According to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Review Letters last week, small volcanic eruptions like that of Turrialba may play a big role in slowing climate change.

In the early hours of Thursday, ashes from the Turrialba Volcano, located 67 kilometers northeast of the Costa Rican capital, spread to several locations in the Central Valley, the Seismological and Volcanological Observatory of Costa Rica reported. Scientists recorded a strong emission of ash and gas at about 3 a.m. accompanied by seismic activity.

Check out a photo timeline of some of the biggest volcanic eruptions in Costa Rica over the last 150 years.

Costa Rica's Agriculture and Livestock Minister Luis Felipe Arauz confirmed Thursday morning that crops of carrots, cabbage, onions, cauliflower and potatoes grown north of the province of Cartago “have not been severely affected by the Turrialba Volcano’s activity.”

An agricultural area larger than 228 football fields has been affected by volcanic eruptions in Costa Rica that began on Oct. 29, according to Felipe Arguedas, an official at the Agriculture and Livestock Ministry. As farmers wait to see how much of their crop is salvageable, the Turrialba Volcano's relative calm continues.

The Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica on Monday launched a new online tool for users to track the trajectory of ash expelled by the Turrialba Volcano.

Among the observations by volcanologists conducting weekend inspections in the area around Costa Rica's Turrialba Volcano were craters in the earth measuring up to one meter in diameter – the result of rocks shooting out from the volcano.