Volcanoes by country

Costa Rica

Volcanoes in Costa Rica

Map, activity and eruption history

The Holocene catalogue of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 10 volcanoes in Costa Rica. This page brings together the map, report status, eruption history and the surroundings of every single volcano. 1 of them currently have an eruption report or an elevated alert level.

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Earthquakes · Costa Rica
With a current report
1 Eruption reported: 1
Volcanoes in the catalogue
10
Documented eruptions
44
Highest volcano
3,436 mIrazu
Last documented eruption
2026Poas

Map

Volcano map of Costa Rica

Every volcano in the country with plate boundaries, air traffic within 50 km, airports and nuclear power plants. Earthquakes can be added on top.

Map layers

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Markers show the catalogue position of a volcano, not the extent of a hazard zone. Plate boundaries after Bird (2003), PB2002.

All volcanoes in Costa Rica

Sorted by report status and elevation. Every entry opens the full volcano profile.

Volcano catalogue
  1. Rincon de la Vieja Eruption reported
    Type
    Volcanic complex
    Elevation
    1,729 m
    Last eruption
    2024
    Eruptions
    8

    Published: Sep 17, 2026, 5:20 AM UTC · Reporting period: Sep 10, 2026 – Sep 16, 2026 · GVP

  2. Irazu No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    3,436 m
    Last eruption
    1977
    Eruptions
    8
  3. Turrialba No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    3,340 m
    Last eruption
    2022
    Eruptions
    8
  4. Barva No current eruption report
    Type
    Volcanic complex
    Elevation
    2,906 m
    Last eruption
    6050 BCE
    Eruptions
    2
  5. Poas No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    2,697 m
    Last eruption
    2026
    Eruptions
    8
  6. Platanar No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    2,267 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  7. Miravalles No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    2,028 m
    Last eruption
    1946
    Eruptions
    2
  8. Tenorio No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,916 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  9. Arenal No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,670 m
    Last eruption
    2010
    Eruptions
    8
  10. Orosi No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,659 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —

“Last eruption” is a catalogue record, not evidence of activity in progress.

Significant volcanic eruptions in Costa Rica

Eruptions with fatalities, damage or high explosivity from the NOAA NCEI database of significant volcanic eruptions.

  1. 1968 Arenal VEI 3 80 Deaths Damage: limited (below 1 million USD)
  2. 1963 Irazu VEI 3 40 Deaths Damage: moderate (roughly 1–5 million USD) 400 houses destroyed
  3. 1963 Irazu VEI 3 15 Deaths
  4. 2000 Arenal VEI 3 2 Deaths
  5. 1975 Arenal VEI 3 2 Deaths
  6. 1988 Arenal VEI 3 1 Deaths
  7. 1966 Rincon de la Vieja VEI 3 Damage: limited (below 1 million USD)
  8. 2019 Irazu Tsunami

Explosivity of the documented eruptions

VEI · 41

VEI 0
1
VEI 1
18
VEI 2
15
VEI 3
3
VEI 4
4
VEI 5
0
VEI 6
0

The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) runs from 0 (effusive) to 8 (super-eruptive). Each step stands for roughly ten times the erupted mass.

Eruptions per century

1700–1799
1
1800–1899
1
1900–1999
12
2000–2099
24

Documented eruptions since 1500. Earlier centuries are recorded less completely, so a rise also reflects better observation.

Earthquakes near volcanoes – Costa Rica

20 events in the last 30 days within 50 km of a volcano in Costa Rica.

Earthquakes · Costa Rica

Spatial proximity does not establish a volcanic origin. Many events in volcanic regions are tectonic.

Tectonic setting and volcano types

What the volcanic landscape of Costa Rica is made of and which tectonic setting it sits in.

Tectonic setting

  • Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)10

Most common volcano types

  • Stratovolcano8
  • Volcanic complex2

Infrastructure within 100 km

Airports with scheduled service and nuclear power plant sites near a volcano in Costa Rica.

Airports 8

  • La Fortuna Arenal Airport13.6 km · FON
  • Juan Santamaría International Airport19.7 km · SJO
  • Tobías Bolaños International Airport20.3 km · SYQ
  • Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport34.9 km · LIR
  • Aerotortuguero Airport47.2 km
  • Omtepe Airport65.4 km
  • Quepos Managua Airport66.9 km · XQP
  • Limón International Airport81.9 km · LIO

Nuclear power plants 0

No site from the included datasets lies within this radius.

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts.

Volcanoes in profile – Costa Rica

Short descriptions of the country's best-known volcanoes.

Rincon de la Vieja

Volcanic complex · 1,729 m · Last eruption: 2024

Rincón de la Vieja is an active andesitic complex volcano in north-western Costa Rica, about 23 km (14 mi) from Liberia, in the province of Guanacaste.

Open profile Read on Wikipedia

Irazu

Stratovolcano · 3,436 m · Last eruption: 1977

The Irazú Volcano is an active volcano in Costa Rica, situated in the Cordillera Central near the city of Cartago.

Open profile Read on Wikipedia

Turrialba

Stratovolcano · 3,340 m · Last eruption: 2022

Turrialba Volcano is an active volcano in central Costa Rica that has been eruptive in recent years including 2016 and in January, March, and April 2017. Visitors used to be able to hike down into the main crater, but increased volcanic activity in 2014–17, resulting in large clouds of volcanic ash, led to the closure of the surrounding Turrialba Volcano National Park. However, with the eruptions subsiding, the park and access to the volcano reopened on December 4, 2020.

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Barva

Volcanic complex · 2,906 m · Last eruption: 6050 BCE

Barva Volcano is an andesitic stratovolcano complex in central Costa Rica, 22 kilometres (14 mi) north of San José, in Heredia Province. It is the highest point in Braulio Carrillo National Park at 9,534 feet (2,906 m). One source states that it is the largest volcano in Central America by area and volume, being about 40 kilometres (25 mi) in diameter.

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Poas

Stratovolcano · 2,697 m · Last eruption: 2026

The Poás Volcano, is an active 2,697-metre (8,848 ft) stratovolcano in central Costa Rica located within Poas Volcano National Park. It has erupted 40 times since 1828, with a strong eruption in April 2017—causing the evacuation of visitors and residents. The volcano and surrounding park were closed for nearly 17 months, with a 2.5 kilometer safety perimeter established around the erupting crater. On September 1, 2018, the park was reopened to the public only with limited access to the crater observation area. They have started to require a reservation on the National Park Website before visitation. Adjacent trails to Lake Botos, and the museum at the visitor center remained closed. The volcano erupted briefly twice in September 2019.

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Platanar

Stratovolcano · 2,267 m · Last eruption: Not available

Platanar Volcano is a dormant stratovolcano located in the Cordillera Central mountain range. It is located within Juan Castro Blanco National Park. In 1968, 2,500 hectares on Cerro Platanar were converted into a national forest.

Open profile Read on Wikipedia

Short descriptions: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions about volcanoes in Costa Rica

How many volcanoes are there in Costa Rica?
The Holocene catalogue of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 10 volcanoes in Costa Rica. It covers volcanoes with eruptions during the last roughly 12,000 years.
Which volcano in Costa Rica is the highest?
The highest recorded volcano is Irazu at 3,436 m.
When was the last documented eruption in Costa Rica?
The most recent eruption documented in the catalogue dates from 2026 (Poas).
Are the volcanoes in Costa Rica active?
1 of the 10 volcanoes currently have an eruption report or an elevated alert level. The status is updated continuously from the official sources.
Why does the map show aircraft around volcanoes?
Volcanic ash endangers aircraft engines. The map therefore shows live positions within 50 km of a volcano so that the proximity of air traffic to an active volcano becomes visible.
Where does the data on this page come from?
Catalogue data and eruption history from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, significant eruptions from NOAA NCEI, alert levels and bulletins from USGS, GeoNet and INGV, earthquakes from the QuakeMap24 database, flight positions from ADSB.lol.

Volcanoes in other countries

Countries with at least 5 volcanoes in the catalogue.

All countries with volcanoes

Sources and data dates

Everything shown comes from the public sources listed below and is updated automatically.

QuakeMap24 is not a warning authority. Follow the responsible authorities when making local decisions.