The 1963 eruption of Irazú Volcano in the Cordillera Volcánica Central was one of the most powerful eruptions in Costa Rica, especially for his destructive lahar. Signs of reactivation began to occur in 1961 in the form of microseisms; previously, several specialists warned that the Irazú Volcano could explode at any time.
| 1963 eruption of Volcán Irazú | |
|---|---|
 Eruption column ash in July 1963 | |
| Volcano | Irazú Volcano |
| Start date | March 13, 1963 |
| End date | January 2, 1965 |
| Type | Vulcanian eruption |
| Location | Cordillera Central, Cartago, Costa Rica |
| VEI | 3[1] |
| Impact |
|
First eruption
editThe first eruption happened on March 13, 1963. It was a powerful explosion that surprised a large part of the country just when John F. Kennedy was making a state visit to Costa Rica in San José,[2] a thin layer of ash fell on everyone, including Kennedy. A famous phrase that John F. Kennedy said when he saw the situation of the eruption was: "Don't ask yourself what your country can do for you, ask yourself what you can do for your country". More ash began to head to the city of San José, where there was so much ash that people covered themselves with handkerchiefs and umbrellas, being forced to sweep the streets.
The lahar
editOn December 9, 1963, the most catastrophic event of the eruption, known in Spanish as La Noche Gris (The Grey Night), was where a lahar slid down the Reventazon River, destroying everything in its path, including trees and some buildings in rural areas, killing some livestock such as cows and horses, and huge rocks that came down the river very quickly, and when the stones collided, sparks could be seen, provoked of the size of the stones, accompanied by a powerful noise.
The river overflowed, causing even more damage, especially when it arrived to Cartago, where he took with him a lot of houses and roads cumpletly covered in mud and ash. Many emergency services arrived at the scene to try to rescue people stuck in the destroyed houses.
End of eruption
editThe eruptions slowly stopped happening, until finally on February 13, 1965, 2 years and 11 months after the start of the eruptions, the volcano stopped erupting, causing deaths, damage to houses, fields and streets, and remembered by many as a tragedy.