Irazu Volcán

Updated: 20 nov. 2025 16:48 GMT - refresh

Stratovolcano

Costa Rica, 9.98°N / -83.85°W

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Salida de la luna:

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Summit height: 3432 m / 11,260 ft

Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)

Last update: 22 dic 2021 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

Irazú (3432 m) immediately east of the capital San José is Costa Rica's highest and one of its most active volcanoes. Tephra fall (ash) during the last major eruption of Irazú in 1963-65 caused heavy damage to infrastructure and life in San José and its surroundings.

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Irazu webcams / live data | Earthquakes | Tours | Images

Typical eruption style: Explosive.
Erupciones del volcán Irazu: 1726, 1775(?), 1821(?), 1822, 1823, 1826(?), 1842, 1844(?), 1847, 1864, 1875, 1882(?), 1909(?), 1914(?), 1917-21, 1924, 1928, 1930, 1933, 1939-40, 1963-65, 1977, 1994

Latest nearby earthquakes

Fecha y hora	Mag / Prof.	Distancia / Ubicación
19 nov 17:52 (Tiempo Universal)	2? 3 km	5.2 km al este	Cartago, 31 km al este de San José, San José, Costa Rica (inconfirmado)	Más
19 nov 07:16 (Tiempo Universal)	2? 4 km	29 km al sur	13 km al sur de Paraiso, Cartago, Costa Rica (inconfirmado)	Más
domingo, 16 noviembre 2025 GMT (1 sismo)
16 nov 21:18 (Tiempo Universal)	2? 140 km	15 km al sureste	Costa Rica (inconfirmado)	Más
miércoles, 12 noviembre 2025 GMT (2 sismos)
12 nov 17:02 (Costa Rica)	2? 11 km	9 km al noroeste	Costa Rica (inconfirmado)	Más
12 nov 08:20 (Costa Rica)	2? 3 km	15 km al noreste	15 km al norte de Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica (inconfirmado)	Más
martes, 11 noviembre 2025 GMT (1 sismo)
11 nov 03:09 (Costa Rica)	2? 0 km	13 km al este	Costa Rica (inconfirmado)	Más
domingo, 9 noviembre 2025 GMT (1 sismo)
9 nov 12:27 (Costa Rica)	2? 9 km	24 km al oeste	Provincia de Heredia, 14 km al norte de San José, San José, Costa Rica (inconfirmado)	Más
sábado, 8 noviembre 2025 GMT (1 sismo)
8 nov 10:47 (Costa Rica)	2? 96 km	27 km al noroeste	Costa Rica (inconfirmado)	Más
viernes, 7 noviembre 2025 GMT (1 sismo)
7 nov 07:48 (Costa Rica)	2? 0 km	3.6 km al noroeste	Cartago, 25 km al este de San José, San José, Costa Rica (inconfirmado)	Más

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Background

Irazú is a massive stratovolcano covering more than 500 sq km with at least 10 flank cones on the southern flank, all being older than at least 14,000 years when a massive lava flow (the "Ceravantes" flow) was erupted.
All known eruptions from Irazú during the past 10,000 years have been explosive and originated from the summit craters that show a migration to the W over time. The historically active crater contains a small acid lake of changing size and color.
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Source: GVP, Smithsonian Institution

Irazu Volcano Photos

El cráter lleno de lago del volcán Irazú, Costa Rica (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)

Volcán Laguna del Irazú, Costa Rica (Photo: WNomad)

Cráter El Piroclástico del Volcán Irazú cerca de Cartago, Costa Rica (Photo: WNomad)

Cráter Principal del Volcán Irazú, cerca de Cartago, Costa Rica (Photo: WNomad)

More photos

Erupciones volcánicas significativas: Irazu volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Irazu has had at least 24 confirmed volcanic eruptions, out of which 19 are documented by historical records, while the others can be inferred from geological evidence.
Additionally, there are 15 uncertain or discredited eruptions from Irazu volcano.

The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Irazu volcano since around 1800. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Irazu can be found on the news page of Irazu volcano.

Fecha	Nota	VEI	Fallecidos	Daños
2019 may 2 (episodio eruptivo 2019 may 2)	Tsunami registrado Obs. históricas/documentos	0		desconocido	Información
2019 may 2: No eruption. Reference #13833 states: that on May 2, 2019 (12:53 p.m.) a landslide with a seiche (type tsunami; in a lake) occurred, which produced a change in the color of the waters of the crater lake, a product of the landslide and sediment input, as well as the disturbance of the lacustrine bottom Cited references #13833 Alvarado, G.E., Campos Duran, D., Brenes Andre, J., Alpizar, Y., Nunez, S., Esquivel, L., Sibaja, J.P., and Fallas, B. (2021): Peligros Volcanicos Del Irazu, Costa Rica. Comision Nacional de Prevencion de Riesgos y Atencion de Emergencias (CNE). December 2021. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
?? 1994 dic 8	Erupción incierta Obs. históricas/documentos	2		desconocido
1977 mar 3	Obs. históricas/documentos	1		desconocido
1974 mar 2 - mar 7	Erupción desacreditada
1967 ago 7	Erupción desacreditada
1963 mar 13 - 1965 feb 13	Obs. históricas/documentos	3		desconocido
1963 dic 10 (erupción 1963 mar 13 - 1965 feb 13)	Obs. históricas/documentos	3	40	moderado	Información
1963 dic 10: Waldron gives number killed in mudflows as >20. Other estimates range from "only a few" to 30. 2 killed and 10 injured by a shower of ash and stones on the crater rim in mid-April. 5 died and many wounded in April and Aug 1964. Stine and Banks report that mudflows killing 20 persons and destroying many structures along the Rio Chiquito were secondary. Over a 2-year period 46 mudflows occurred along the Rio Reventado valley; one killed at least 20 persons and destroyed 400 houses and some factories. (reference #9675) Cited references #1412 Simkin, Tom, and Lee Siebert with the collaboration of Russell Blong, Jonathan Dehn, Christopher Newhall, Roland Pool, and Thomas C. Stein (1994): Volcanoes of the World, Second Edition, A Regional Directory, Gazetteer, and Chronology of Volcanism During the Last 10,000 Years, Geoscience Press, Inc., Tucson, Arizona, in association with Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program, Washington, D.C., p. 164-176. #1671 Stine Cynthia M. and Norman G. Banks (1991): Costa Rica Volcano Profile. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report, 67 p. #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1963 mar 17 (erupción 1963 mar 13 - 1965 feb 13)	Obs. históricas/documentos	3	15	desconocido	Información
1963 mar 17: Witham lists 15 fatalities, with range of 5-15. (reference #9675) Cited references #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1962 ago 9	Erupción desacreditada
1939 may 18 - 1940 feb	Obs. históricas/documentos	2		desconocido
1933 mar 22 ? - jul 25	Obs. históricas/documentos	2		desconocido
1930 oct	Obs. históricas/documentos	2		desconocido
1928 feb 14 - may 26 ±5 d.	Obs. históricas/documentos	2		desconocido
1924 mar - abr	Obs. históricas/documentos	2		desconocido
1917 sep 27 - 1921	Obs. históricas/documentos	3		desconocido
?? 1914 feb 21	Erupción incierta	?		desconocido
1910	Erupción desacreditada
?? 1909	Erupción incierta	2		desconocido
1899	Erupción desacreditada
1894	Erupción desacreditada
1889 feb 28	Erupción desacreditada
1886	Obs. históricas/documentos	2?		desconocido
1885	Obs. históricas/documentos	2?		desconocido
1883 ene 3	Erupción desacreditada
?? 1882	Erupción incierta	2		desconocido
1875 ±5 y.	Obs. históricas/documentos	2		desconocido
1864 sep 16 - sep 17	Obs. históricas/documentos	2		desconocido
1847 may 18	Obs. históricas/documentos	2		desconocido
?? 1844 may	Erupción incierta	2		desconocido
1842	Obs. históricas/documentos	2		desconocido
?? 1826	Erupción incierta	?		desconocido
1823	Obs. históricas/documentos	2?		desconocido
1822 may 7	Obs. históricas/documentos	2		desconocido
?? 1821 may	Erupción incierta	2		desconocido

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Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Fuentes: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Irazu Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Irazu volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Irazu occurred in 1977.

+How often does Irazu volcano erupt?

Since 1723, Irazu volcano has had at least 19 historically documented eruptions. This means that it erupts on average every 15.9 years.
Many eruptions of Irazu have lasted more than one year. In total, the volcano has been in eruption during 27 out of 302 years until now. In other words, Irazu has been active at least one in 11.2 years on average. Note that this value is likely an underestimate, because the known history of eruptions from Irazu is likely incomplete, especially further back in time.

+How active is Irazu volcano at present?

Irazu volcano is relatively active: Since 1900, it has had 15 eruptions, and been active during 15 years out of 126 as of now. This means, Irazu has been in eruption one in 8.4 years on average. The last eruption was in 1977 and ended 49 years ago.

+When was the largest eruption of Irazu volcano?

The largest eruption of Irazu volcano in historic times occurred during 1963 - 1965. It ranks as a "vulcanian" eruption with a magnitude 3 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Últimas imágenes satelitales

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

Latest satellite images

Irazu Volcán Mapas

Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).