Stewart Family
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"I always went very early in the morning to take food to my brothers working on the other side of Tabacon River; walking through the woods I always heard, it. That day I heard the sound of what I thought was the plane but it was stronger. I thought I was late because I had not reached the place where I usually heard the plane, then I started to run so that my brothers did not get mad at me. When I crossed Tabacon River it felt hot¬ter than usual but I did not stop. Reaching the place where my brothers were working they told to me that they were frightened, they asked if I knew something about the volcano since they had heard a very strong noise comming from that direction. We all turned back and started running toward our house; everything was destroyed, there was no house and our mother and father were dead". With these few words Jose Rafael Soto H. relates what happened that day in 1968 at Arenal Volcano.
It has to be assumed that at the time there was no monitoring of volcanoes in Costa Rica. Arenal as well as other volcanoes in our country had not been studied, for many years it was known as ARENAL PEAK.
Recent studies suggest that Arenal's latest activity took place between 1200 and 1500 A.D.
People that had climbed to the summit years before the explosion reported that they could feel some heat between the rocks and see some fumaroles, they also said that the tempea-ture in Tabacon River had increased.
The night before the explosion the seis¬mic activity was so intense that people from Fortuna and El Castillo were scared; some survivors said that they felt earthquakes all night long.
Arenal, before the activity of 1968, was showing critical signs that would lead to the pres¬ent activity that began at 07:30,a.m.(local time) July 29, 1968.
With the first explosion, 3 new craters were opened on the west flank of the volcano, they were named A, B and C, from the lower to the upper flank respectively. Crater A was formed at 1000 meters above sea level (m. a.s.l.) and was the location where one or more pyroclastic flows originated.
These flows devastated a 12 km2 area to the west of the volcanic edifice. A large amount of material was ejected; ash, lapilli. and bombs. Ash and lapilli were carried west by the trade winds to Tilaran, Liberia and Santa Cruz in the Guanacaste Province. Large blocks were deposited near crater A and some reached approximately 5Km from it; on impact they formed craters up to 20m wide and 2m deep.
The temperature of gases emitted was so high that vegetation was instantaneously dehydrated and even carbonized. Eighty seven people were killed in the villages of Tabacon and Pueblo Nuevo.
On July 31 a new pyroclastic flow occurred, this time 8 persons travelling in two vehicles were killed.
One consequence of the devistation and deposition of large amounts of ash, heavy rain generated cold lahars in rivers and streams, mainly down in the Tabacon River valley.
Late on September 19, the begining of the first lava flow was observed flowing out of crater A, moving to the NW, this flow continued, until 1973.
During 1973, activity migrated to crater C, localizing at approximately 1450 m. a.s.l. from this vent permanent emission of lavas, sporadic pyroclastic flows, constant emission of gas, and were occurring intermittent explosions emitting blocks and ash.
precise history information on the history of the Arenal volcano learn about the arenal volcano from the hand of locals that narrated the history of the Arenal Volcano since its first eruption in 1968 this is one of the most accurate history articles ever writing enjoy and learn about the Arenal Volcano.
