Emergency officials in Costa Rica say they have moved some residents away from a volcano outside the capital after it spewed toxic gas and ash, signs of a potentially imminent eruption.

Costa Rican authorities have raised the alert level for the Turrialba volcano, after it started spewing smoke and ash into the atmosphere.Costa Rica's National Emergency Commission said its volcano warning level was at green on Wednesday, the lowest of three warning levels, but that it had alerted residents about the possibility of an evacuation and already moved some villagers away from the populated areas closest to the volcano so they would not be harmed by erupting gases.

The country's National Seismology Network raised the level to yellow, indicating an eruption is imminent.

"The hydrothermal part of the volcano is interacting and giving off decompressions or small explosions in the peak of the southwest crater and this is causing rocks to be thrown and gases," said seismologist Carlos Ramirez.

"The volcano has presented certain events which has led to suspicions of an eruption, such as the movement of fluids inside the volcano," added another seismologist, Lepolt Linkemer.

The Turrialba volcano located about 65 kilometres outside San Jose began a series of eruptions in 2007. Several nearby villages were evacuated and a surrounding national park closed in 2010.

Earth Changes Media


Mitch Battros | 



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