New eruption at Turrialba produced ash column reaching more than 6,500 feet

April 2015 – COSTA RICA – Costa Rica’s Turrialba volcano erupted again Tuesday afternoon, producing a column of ash, gas, and water vapor that reached some 6,500 feet over the volcano’s crater, according to the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI). The eruption began at 4:04 p.m. and continued for 22 minutes, according to OVSICORI. Constant seismic activity has been recorded at the volcano since Saturday, and local residents have reported a strong smell of sulfur for the last several days.

San Jose’s Tobias Bolanos Airport announced a partial closure of the airport Tuesday evening due to potential ashfall, but was back to normal operation by Wednesday morning. An eruption of similar magnitude most recently occurred on Tuesday, April 7^th. One of Costa Rica’s most well-known volcanologists, Gino Gonzalez of the National Seismological Network (RSN), said in December that Turrialba could remain active and belching ash for as long as two years.  –Inside Costa Rica