Platanar Volcano
Mountain in Costa Rica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Platanar Volcano is a dormant stratovolcano located in the Cordillera Central mountain range. It is located within Juan Castro Blanco National Park.[1] In 1968, 2,500 hectares (6,200 acres) on Cerro Platanar were converted into a national forest.[2]
| Platanar Volcano | |
|---|---|
| |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,183 metres (7,162 ft) |
| Coordinates | 10°18′00″N 84°21′58″W[1] |
| Geography | |
  Platanar Volcano Location within Costa Rica | |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Holocene |
| Volcano | |
| Volcanic arc | Central America Volcanic Arc |
| Last eruption | Unknown |
Geology
Platanar sits on the north side of a complex that covers 900 square kilometres (350 sq mi)[1] or approximately 386 square kilometres (149 sq mi),[3] which it shares with Porvenir Volcano, another stratovolcano which also dates back to the Pleistocene[1] or tentatively the Upper Pleistocene[3] period. Both of these are part of a composed stratovolcano of that era.[3] Platanar's summit rises to 7,162 feet (2,183 m), while Povenir's is a bit higher at 7,437 feet (2,267 m).[3]
There is a destroyed crater on the northwestern part of Platanar's upper region, which features on its northeastern side Palmera's collapsed caldera, probably from the Lower Pleistocene and filled mostly with lahars.[3]
Prehistoric lava flows adorn its western and northwestern flanks;[1] one of them, the so-called Florida flow, was perhaps created by Platanar's most recent activity.[4] Platanar's erupted lavas range from basalts to andesites in composition.[4] On its southwest flank, there are "pyroclasts, detritus and volcanic breccias, as well as mixed breccias and alluvial deposits."[4]
Stream-sediment samples taken in 1987 at the base of the northern flank of Platanar Volcano may indicate "epithermal gold deposits".[5]
Seismic activity
Economic activities
The western flanks of both volcanoes are used for dairy farming.[6]