Overall Green alert Volcanic eruption for Poas
in Costa Rica

Event summary

GREEN alert: The Poas Volcanic eruption is unlikely to require external humanitarian assistance based on the exposed population and coping capacity.

GDACS ID VO 1000110
Name: Poas (345040)
Lat/Lon: 10.2 , -84.23
Event Date: 27 Mar 2025 UTC
Exposed Population 30km: About 1390000 people within 30km
Exposed Population 100km: About 4210000 people within 100km
Max Volc. Explosivity Index VEI: 2
Population Exposure Index PEI: 5
Inserted at: 27 Mar 2025 06:50 UTC

GDACS Score

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Virtual OSOCC
Meteo assessment
Satellite products
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  • OpenStreetMap
    The boundaries and the names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.
50 km
Detailed event map. European Union, 2025. Map produced by EC-JRC.
The boundaries and the names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.

Updates on volcanic activity (Smithsonian)

The Smithsonian/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report provides information about global volcanism on a weekly basis. Latest Poas report has been published on 19 Mar 2025 09:07.
The Observatorio Vulcanol?gico y Sismol?gico de Costa Rica-Universidad Nacional (OVSICORI-UNA) reported that eruptive activity at Po?s continued at an elevated level through 18 March. Four significant phreatic eruptions were recorded on 9 March that ejected material as high as 300 m above the lake?s surface and produced a steam-and-gas plume that rose 1 km. The monitoring network did not record eruptive events during 11-12 March. Sulfur dioxide emissions fluctuated; emissions detected in satellite data averaged 344 tons per day (t/d) on 11 March and 472 t/d on 12 March and relatively high concentrations were measured by a gas sensor located at the Visitor Observation Deck on 12 March. Residents in Grecia (16 km SW), Sarch? (18 km SW), and San Gertrudis (13 km SSW) reported a sulfur odor and minor ashfall. A small phreatic eruption occurred at 0536 on 13 March, though continuous and voluminous emissions of steam and gas obscured views of the event. A sequence of small phreatic events was recorded during 1800-2000, culminating in a moderate phreatic eruption at 2000. A plume containing significant amounts of sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and tephra drifted NW as far as the SW part of Nicaragua. Sulfur dioxide emissions detected in satellite data averaged 844 t/d. At 2300 instruments located at the visitor building of the Parque Nacional Volc?n Po?s recorded extreme levels of sulfur dioxide gas and particulates in the air; these conditions lasted until around 0300 on 14 March. During 0140-0200 on 14 March a gas monitoring station in San Isidro de Coronado measured high levels of sulfur dioxide gas from a plume that drifted S and E of the Valle Central. Residents of Heredia (28 km SE), Alajuela (21 km S), and San Jos? (33 km SE) reported sulfur odors, minor ashfall, and adverse health effects like respiratory discomfort for both residents and animals. Gas-and-steam emissions continued from both Boca A and Boca C through 18 March. The Alert Level remained at 3 (the second highest level on a four-level scale) and the Aviation Color Code remained at Orange (the second highest color on a four-color scale). Source: Observatorio Vulcanologico y Sismologico de Costa Rica-Universidad Nacional (OVSICORI-UNA)
See the detail here

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Data, images, links, services and documents

For this events, GDACS has links to information from the following sources: EC-JRC (32), (2), INGV (2), DesInventar (1), WMO (1), INFORM (2), JSR (1),