The history of volcanology in Costa Rica: from the Amerindian legends to the beginning of the twenty-first century

Abstract

We divide the narrative history of legends on volcanoes, descriptions of volcanic landscape, eruptions and products, and the gradual development of volcanology in Costa Rica as a formal science, into several periods or stages. Each stage is discussed in detail in the text: (a) pre-Columbian period (11 500 BC–AD 1502); (b) colonization period (1502–1718); (c) first period (1719–1887); (d) second period (1888–1925); (e) third period (1926–62), and (f) fourth period (1963–present). The social and economic contribution of volcanology research is also discussed.

A new impetus in “geo-literacy” in the national volcanic parks of Costa Rica and surrounding sectors for better risk management

“…If you wanted to briefly cover volcanology education in Costa Rica in a simplified way, then you could propose several stages based on previous research (Alvarado and Patino;2017;. From now on, geo-literacy will be understood as the training process aimed at the population (permanent and transitory), government and private organizations, as well as authorities and decision makers of a certain area with particular geological characteristics.…”