The Arenal Volcano, in Spanish Volcán Arenal, is an active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica (10.5N, 84.7W), around 90 km north-west of San José, in the province of Alajuela. Recognised as a volcano since the 19th century, it was known by foreign investigators as "Volcan Costa Rica, Rio Frio", "Canastos" Volcano and "Cerro de los Guatusos". Arenal is the youngest and most active of all the mountains in Costa Rica. Scientists have been able to date it back to more than 4000 years ago. The area remained largely unexplored until 1937, when a documented expedition took place to reach the summit. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 853 pixel, file size: 150 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Matthew G. Landry, 2006. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Mountains can be characterized in several ways. ... A cutaway diagram of a stratovolcano Mount Damavand, a stratovolcano in Māzandarān, Iran Mount St. ... For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... A sample of andesite (dark groundmass) with amygdaloidal vesicules filled with zeolite. ... A cutaway diagram of a stratovolcano Mount Damavand, a stratovolcano in Māzandarān, Iran Mount St. ... km redirects here. ... Nickname: Location of San José Canton between provinces Coordinates: Country Costa Rica Province San José Province Canton San José Canton Founded c. ... Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Once locally known as Cerro Arenal (i.e. Mount Arenal) it was presumed extinct until July 29, 1968 when an earthquake caused it to erupt, after approximately 400 years of dormancy. The eruption wiped out the town of Arenal and killed 87 people [1]. It lasted for several days, and during that time destroyed crops, property, livestock, and forests. 15 square kilometers were buried and the explosion affected over 232 square kilometers. The eruption caused three new and active craters to form. Before the eruption, there was a wide veriety of plant and wildlife on the mountain. It has been active since the explosion and can be reported to have minor eruptions every 5-10 minutes. July 29 is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ...

Arenal rises 1657 metres above sea level and overlooks Lake Arenal; both are part of Arenal Volcano National Park. The country's most active volcano, Arenal's eruptions are strombolian in type, being frequent but moderate and can be viewed without danger as long as the viewers are behind the safety perimeter. This constant activity and minimal endangerment makes Arenal a popular tourist destination, especially at night ( See image), because the lava and incandescent rocks make a spectacular sight. The last major eruption of Arenal occurred on August 23, 2000. Most of the time, the volcano is surrounded by clouds near the tip, and it is touted as good luck to see the whole volcano without clouds. The volcano heats several hot springs nearby, including Tabacon, a popular tourist destination. The or meter (see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... Lake Arenal is the largest lake in Costa Rica. ... Arenal Volcano National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal) is a Costan Rican national park in the central part of the country, forming the Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Strombolian activity. ... Arenal Volcano erupting at night, March 14, 2003. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Green Dragon Spring at Norris Geyser A hot spring is a place where warm or hot groundwater issues from the ground on a regular basis for at least a predictable part of the year, and is significantly above the ambient ground temperature (which is usually around 55~57°F or...

This is one of seven historically active Costa Rican volcanoes: Poás, Irazú, Miravalles, Orosí, Rincón de la Vieja [complex], and Turrialba. The Poás Volcano is in central Costa Rica. ... The Irazú Volcano, in spanish is an active volcano in Costa Rica, situated in the Cordillera Central close to the city of Cartago. ... The Miravalles Volcano is an andesitic stratovolcano in Costa Rica. ... The Orosí Volcano, in spanish the , is an extinct volcano in Costa Rica, situated in the near the border with Nicaragua. ... The Rincón de la Vieja Volcano, in spanish , is an active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica, about 25 km from Liberia, in the province of Guanacaste. ... The Turrialba Volcano was named after the region of Costa Rica in which the volcano is situated. ...

Arenal in January 2006

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 2. ...

See also

• Lake Arenal
• Arenal Volcano National Park

Lake Arenal is the largest lake in Costa Rica. ... Arenal Volcano National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal) is a Costan Rican national park in the central part of the country, forming the Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area. ...

References

• Global Volcanism Program: Arenal
• MTU Volcanoes Page: Arenal
• Volcano World: Arenal

External links

• Most recent pictures of Arenal eruptions
• Arenal Volcano Pictures
• Volcanoes.ca: Arenal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Arenal Volcano

A panorama of the area around the Arenal Volcano