The 1963 eruption of

Irazú Volcano The Irazú Volcano () is an active volcano in Costa Rica, situated in the Cordillera Central close to the city of Cartago. The name might have come from either the combination of "ara" (point) and "tzu" (thunder) or a corruption of ''Iztar ...

in the Cordillera Volcánica Central was one of the most powerful eruptions in Costa Rica, especially for his destructive

lahar A lahar (, from ) is a violent type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of Pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic material, rocky debris and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a valley, river valley. Lahars are o ...

. Signs of reactivation began in 1961 in the form of

microseism In seismology, a microseism is defined as a faint earth tremor caused by natural phenomena. Sometimes referred to as a "hum", it should not be confused with the anomalous acoustic phenomenon of the The Hum, same name. The term is most commonly used ...

s; previously, several specialists warned that the Irazú Volcano could explode at any time.

First eruption

The 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 John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

was making a

state visit A state visit is a formal visit by the head of state, head of a sovereign state, sovereign country (or Governor-general, representative of the head of a sovereign country) to another sovereign country, at the invitation of the head of state (or ...

to Costa Rica in San José,https://www.nacion.com/viva/cultura/cuando-john-f-kennedy-puso-a-costa-rica-en-el-mapa-de-la-guerra-fria/XZPF54BEMBG4XPAUHGDH7LCCWY/story/ 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 and were forced to sweep the streets.

The lahar

On December 9, 1963, the most catastrophic event of the eruption, known in Spanish as ''La Noche Gris'' (The Grey Night), was when a lahar slid down the Reventado River, destroying everything in its path, including trees and some buildings in rural areas, and killing livestock such as cows and horses. Huge rocks came down the river, and when they collided, sparks could be seen, provoked by the size of the stones, accompanied by a mighty noise. The river overflowed when it arrived close to Cartago City, causing even more damage. It destroyed houses and roads, leaving everything covered in mud and ash. Many emergency services arrived at the scene to try to rescue people stuck in their destroyed homes.

End of eruption

The eruptions slowly stopped until finally, on February 13, 1965, 2 years and 11 months after the start of the eruptions, the volcano stopped erupting. Irazu Volcano caused deaths and damaged houses, fields, livestock, and streets. It is remembered by many as a tragedy.

References

{{authority control 1963 natural disasters 20th-century volcanic events Volcanic eruptions in South America Natural disasters in Costa Rica