A large white vapor plume was continuously emitted from the eroded cone at the S end of the crater lake. SO₂ emission rates measured by COSPEC were at average to high levels. Bright orange-red incandescence was visible in cracks within 20 cm of the surface. Temperatures of up to 873°C were measured in these cracks. The crater lake had a temperature of 40°C and abundant sulfur bubbles were floating on its surface.

Geological Summary. The broad vegetated edifice of Poás, one of the most active volcanoes of Costa Rica, contains three craters along a N-S line. The frequently visited multi-hued summit crater lakes of the basaltic-to-dacitic volcano are easily accessible by vehicle from the nearby capital city of San José. A N-S-trending fissure cutting the complex stratovolcano extends to the lower N flank, where it has produced the Congo stratovolcano and several lake-filled maars. The southernmost of the two summit crater lakes, Botos, last erupted about 7,500 years ago. The more prominent geothermally heated northern lake, Laguna Caliente, is one of the world's most acidic natural lakes, with a pH of near zero. It has been the site of frequent phreatic and phreatomagmatic eruptions since an eruption was reported in 1828. Eruptions often include geyser-like ejections of crater-lake water.

Information Contacts: R. Stoiber, S. Williams, H.R. Naslund, J.B. Gemmell, and D. Sussman, Dartmouth College, USA; E. Malavassi R. and J. Barquero H., Univ. Nacional, Heredia.