Platanar Volcano facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Platanar Volcano |
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,183 metres (7,162 ft) |
| Geography | |
 Platanar Volcano
Location in Costa Rica
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| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Holocene |
| Mountain type | Volcano |
| Last eruption | Unknown |
The Platanar Volcano is a cool natural landmark found in the Central Mountain Range of Costa Rica. It's part of a bigger group of volcanoes that spreads out over a huge area, about 900 square kilometers (347 square miles). The tallest volcano in this group is called Porvenir Volcano, which stands at 2,267 meters (about 7,438 feet) tall. Platanar Volcano is also located inside the beautiful Juan Castro Blanco National Park.
Contents
What Platanar Volcano Looks Like
Platanar Volcano has a crater that has been damaged over time, located on its northwest side. You can see old lava flows on its western slopes. One of these, called the Florida flow, might be from the volcano's most recent activity long ago.
How Platanar and Porvenir Formed
Nearby, Cerro Porvenir has a special top called a "truncated caldera" with a cone inside it. Think of a caldera as a big bowl-shaped hollow that forms when a volcano collapses after a huge eruption. Both Platanar and Porvenir are part of a type of volcano called a stratovolcano. These are tall, cone-shaped volcanoes built up by many layers of hardened lava and ash.
Platanar Volcano formed during the Pleistocene epoch, which was a long time ago. On Platanar's side, it sits on top of what's left of an even older collapsed caldera called Palmera. The lava that has erupted from Platanar ranges from basalt (a dark, dense volcanic rock) to andesite (a lighter-colored volcanic rock).
Activities Around Platanar Volcano
The lower western slopes of both Platanar and Porvenir volcanoes are used for dairy farming. This means farmers raise cows there to produce milk. In 1968, a large area of about 2,500 hectares (6,178 acres) on Cerro Platanar was turned into a National Forest. This helps protect the natural environment and wildlife in the area.
Recent Shaking at Platanar
Even though Platanar Volcano hasn't erupted in a long time, there have been some small earthquakes near it. On March 30, 1997, six earthquakes were felt on its southern side. The strongest one was a magnitude 2.7, which is usually too small to cause much damage but can be felt. Before that, in April 1980, there was a series of small earthquakes, called a seismic swarm, that lasted for about two to three weeks. These small quakes are a reminder that the area is still volcanically active, even if the volcano isn't erupting.
See also
In Spanish: Volcán Platanar para niños
