
© Via CNEOne of the explosions at Turrialba Volcano on May 19, 2016.
Activity at Turrialba Volcano, located some 50 kilometers east of the capital, San José, increased significantly on Thursday with constant emanations of ash and at least three big explosions.According to the University of Costa Rica's National Seismological Network (
RSN), the first explosion occurred at 2:05 p.m. and formed a plume of gas and ash that reached nearly 1 km high.
The second, and most prolonged one, occurred at 3:46 p.m. and lasted three minutes. A few minutes later, at 4:09 p.m., a third explosion was recorded.
The column of gases and ash at about 4:20 p.m. rose to more than 500 meters above the crater and wind conditions at that time caused ash to disperse from the volcano, mostly to the southwest, RSN reported.
Ash has been reported in San José and Heredia provinces.
Turrialba Volcano has seen increased activity following
explosions in late April, some of which extended for several hours. The National University's Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (
OVSICORI) reported that micro-tremors and ash eruptions from the volcano have been constant since an eruption recorded at 10:07 p.m. Wednesday.
Comment: Also this week an intense hailstorm hit Sinop in Turkey.