POAS VOLCANO & SARCHI ARTSANS
 

 
  The Poás Volcano, in Spanish Volcán Poás, is an active strato volcano in central Costa Rica. Poás has erupted 39 times since 1828 Crater lakes There are two crater lakes near its summit. The northern lake is known as the Laguna Caliente. It is one of the world's most acidic lakes, with a pH of almost 0, and as a consequence supports little or no aquatic life. Lake Botos, the southern lake, fills an inactive crater, which last erupted 7500BC. It is cold and clear, and is surrounded by a cloud forest located within the Poás Volcano National Park. Eruptive history It was near the epicenter of a 6.1-magnitude earthquake in January 2009 that killed at least forty people and affected Fraijanes, Vara Blanca, Cinchona (the most affected area), the capital San José and the Central Valley region of Costa Rica. It also has had eruptive activity in 2009 involving minor phreatic eruptions and landslides within the northern active crater. Poás eruptions often include geyser-like ejections of crater-lake water Lake Botos is an inactive crater also located within the Poás Volcano National Park. Fumarole activity at the Poás crater. Botos Lagoon is a filled-up crater in the Parque Nacional Volcan Poas. Its deep blue waters contrast with the dense tropical forest that surround it, making it the perfect spot for the stereotypical Indian sacrifice- throwing a young maiden into the mouth of a crater or a lagoon. Volcan Poas is one of the most visited volcanoes in Costa Rica, because of its proximity to San Jose and because of the luxuriant forest that surrounds the two craters. The park measures 5600 hectares, and this basaltic volcano stands at an altitude of 2708 meters (8,200 feet) above sea level. One of the craters measures 1.5 kilometers in diameter (0.9 miles) and is 300 meters deep (900 feet). At the bottom of this prehistoric-looking hole, there is a medium sized lagoon, that spews boiling sulphurous gases. The other crater is the one mentioned above, called Botos Lagoon, which unlike the other lake, contains cold water that connects to the Rio Angel, and later to the large Rio Sarapiqui. The volcano has had a long history of eruptions, going back as much as 11 million years ! On January 25, 1910, the volcano spewed out 640,000 tons of ash, and in the period of 1952-1954, it bombarded nearby areas with ash and rocks. Since then, the Poas has maintained a low profile, but as recently as 1989, the park was closed because of dangerous sulphurous gas emissions. Its geyser-like eruptions of muddy water and steam, have given it the reputation as the world’s largest geyser. Apart from its volcanic activity, this national park offers four different habitats; this, in a relatively small area, is evidence of Costa Rica’s incredible biodiversity. The four habitats are the following: areas with scarce vegetation, a stunted forest, a cloud forest, and an area of arrayans. There are 79 species of birds in this park, including the robin, the hummingbird and the spectacular quetzal. Among the mammals found here, are the coyotes, long-tailed weasels, skunks and some small felines. If you see a green-yellow squirrel, take a good look at it, because it’s the Poas green-yellow squirrel, and as its name suggests, it’s only found in this park, and nowhere else in the whole world! One of the most interesting ecosystems present at the park, is the dwarf or stunted forest, where the tough ferns and bonsai-type trees aren’t allowed to grow much because of the acid rain that’s emanated from the volcano. There are well-kept but short trails around the craters and into the forest. The “Crater overlook trail” is 750 meters long, and it’s a paved road that winds around and right to the crater. The side trail, which takes 20 or 30 minutes to cover, leads to the interesting Botos Lake, mentioned above. The “Escalonia Trail” (named after a tree of the same name), also takes about thirty minutes to walk, and it takes you through the forest. It’s important to keep in mind that the weather here is extremely humid, and that even if it doesn’t rain, you’ll need good shoes for muddy paths, as well as a raincoat and sweater.

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