Hi everyone,
So much too tell and so little time on computer. I LOVE reading all the great stuff you send me; it makes me feel like you are all here with me.
And by the way...quit complaining about the work I left - you'd be doing the SAME amount if I was there.
So....here's a new question.
I am at Arenal Volcano. Look up about the "geology" of Costa Rica. Write ONE fact about it's geology. Once a fact is listed by someone you can't use the same fact. This means you have to read everyone's before you send me one :):):):).
Leaving for hot springs tonight. Water is heated by geothermal energy from the volcano.
Miss you
Mrs. K
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Well, on the subject of volcanoes, my geology fact is that Costa Rica has more than 100 volcanoes, many of which are active. There are four around the capital, one of which erupted destructively in 1963-1965.
This is Jolynne, and my geology fact about Costa Rica is that it sits on a jagged series of volcanoes and mountains, part of the great Andean-Sierra Madre chain, that runs the length of the western littoral of the Americas.
Costa Rica is on the boundary where the Pacific's Cocos Plate (510km wide) meets the crustal plate underlying the Caribbean. These two are converging while the Cocos Plate moves east at a rate of about 10 cm a year! It's a subduction zone where the Caribbean plate is forced under the Cocos; in fact, Costa Rica has one of the youngest surface areas in the Americas (only 3 mil yrs old!) because it has only recently come out from under the sea.
Costa Rica is the penultimate link in a chain of small nations that together comprise the isthmus of Central America. Along with the Caribbean and the Pacific, the country's borders are defined by Nicaragua to the North and Panama to the South. Located at the nexus of two continents and two oceans, this confluence of land and water makes the region one of mother nature's great bottlenecks.
Costa Rica lies at the boundary where the Coco's plate (Pacific) meets the Crustal plate (Caribbean). Costa Rica has had a varried (not so distant past) and has been an isthmus, peninsula, and archipelago. Costa Rica has one of the most virgin surfaces in the world and is largely volatile as it contains one of the world's 10 most active volcanoes.
Hope this works! Have fun visiting the hot springs!
Conical Volcan Arenal is the youngest stratovolcano in Costa Rica and one of its most active. The 1657-m-high andesitic volcano towers above the eastern shores of Lake Arenal, which has been enlarged by a hydroelectric project. Arenal lies along a volcanic chain that has migrated to the NW from the late-Pleistocene Los Perdidos lava domes through the Pleistocene-to-Holocene Chato volcano, which contains a 500-m-wide, lake-filled summit crater. The earliest known eruptions of Arenal took place about 7000 years ago, and it was active concurrently with Cerro Chato until the activity of Chato ended about 3500 years ago. Growth of Arenal has been characterized by periodic major explosive eruptions at several-hundred-year intervals and periods of lava effusion that armor the cone.
Hi Mrs. K
hope you are having a wonderful time in Costa Rica!!
my geological fact is that in the The Guanacaste Range System there are Orosi, Rincon de la Vieja volcano, Miravalles volcano, Tenorio volcano and the Arenal volcano.
The Orosi is the first of the range that you come across when you enter Costa Rica from the Nicaraguan side.
Ocean trench quakes off the coast of Costa Rica have been recorded at 8.9 on the Richter scale and are among history's most awesome, heaving the sea floor sometimes scores of feet. These ruptures often propagate upward, touching off other, lower-magnitude tremors. This is what happened when the powerful 7.4 quake struck Costa Rica on 22 April 1991.
And we still have WAY too much work
:P
Hey Ms K!
This is Katie and Devon working together on this blog assingment =]
We found information about the topography of Costa Rica!
Costa Rica can be divided into four geographical areas: the tropical lowlands on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, the North Central plains, the Central valley, and the Northwest peninsula (Infocostarica). The lowland area covers much of the northern part of the country, and is criss-crossed with rivers flowing down from the highlands. The terrain here includes scattered hills, but is mostly flat plains. These plains continue from the north up to the Caribbean coast and can account for about 1/5 of Costa Rica’s total land area. Dense tropical rain forests and beautiful beaches line both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. The Pacific coast has a varied topography, with mountain peninsulas and scattered narrow beaches, while the Caribbean is generally flat.
Well, Costa Rica is a very volcanically active spot, being located within the Ring of Fire. The country contains 60 dormant or extinct volcanoes, as well as 7 active volcanoes: Arenal, Irazu, Poas, and Rincon de la Vieja naming just a few. The last big eruption occurred in 1963 at Irazu. After being dormant for 20 years, clouds of ash and smoke suddenly erupted from the volcano and continued for two years (This isn't Global Warming it's Global Volcanism)!
Hi mrs K,
One fact about costa rica's geology is that 50 million years ago it didn't exist and was just a strip of land along the ocean floor. Most geologists believe that from 40 million years ago until within only the past three million years what are now Costa Rica and its neighboring countries were just volcanic archipelago. Using the theory of plate tectonics, which says that the earth's crust is fragmented in a number of sections, though they are not stationary, the formation of Costa Rica's land mass is explained by its position at the western edge of the so-called Caribbean plate, which is moving westward and overriding the Cocos plate located in the Pacific Ocean.
-Carla
Most of Costa Rica itself is about three million years old, with the exception of the peninsula of Nicoya, which is many millions of years older. Most of the mountain ranges in Costa Rica are volcanic, the exception is the massive Cordillera de Talamanca in the south, the largest range in Costa Rica. This is a granite batholith, or intruded igneous rock that formed under great pressure below the surface of the earth and was uplifted.
Costa Rica's geological history can be traced back to the impact of the Cocos Plate moving northeast and crashing into the Caribbean Plate at a rate of about 10 cm every year
my geology fact is that costa rica has a average annual precipitation level of 250cm.
Costa Rica is relatively new in geology terms - around 50 million years ago it was an underwater mountain/volcano range. Eventually layers of volcanic material built up and the peaks broke through the ocean's surface. Around 3 million years ago, the land bridge between Central and South America was complete.
Costa Rica has diverse climates, flora, and fauna thanks to the variety of topography in the country.
costa rica is covered by 112 volcanic formations, created by the Pacific Rim of Fire which accounts for 81% of all major earthquakes.
Costa Rica's weather is influenced by many factors, as is weather everywhere, although perhaps two of the most important factors are the fairly even amount of solar radiation received throughout the year and the prevailing northeasterly winds, known as the trade winds.
Also Costa Rica was said to be non existent, lying on the ocean floor, until the movement of the earth's plates caused an erruption.
Party on Monday. All food No Work!!!!!!
Love holly
also mrs. k i think i may have posted some of my answers on the wrong blogs but its all good!
Hey Ms. K,
This is Kelly and Julio working together on this one. When Costa Rica's plates collide with the oceanic plates, Costa Rica floats and the oceanic crust sinks under Costa Rica's plates causing a deep trench along the boundary.
Hey Mrs. K hope your having fun...this is Amy Ewald...here's what I found:
There are 6 different geological provinces in Costa Rica. From West to East-
1. Tertiary Ophiolitic Suite
2. Tertiary Basin
3. Tertiary volanic range
4. Active Quaternary volcanic range
5. Intra-arc basin
6. Caribbean coastal plain
Humans inhabited costa rica from as far back as 10,000 years ago!
~Reno
Humans inhabited costa rica from as far back as 10,000 years ago!
~Reno
I agree with Holly, we definitely need a "Welcome Back Mrs. K" party!
Also, Costa Rica's highest elevation is Chirripó Grande, which is 12,530 feet above sea level.
The series of volcanic mountain chains split the country in 2!
see you soon!
Hi Mrs.K!
My fact about Costa Rica's geology is that its highest active volcano, Irazu, sits at 3432 meters and contains a lake that is an eeriely bright green color in its crater.
Meseta Central
In Costa Rica, all roads radiate from the Meseta Central, the heart and heartbeat of the nation. This rich agricultural valley is cradled by the flanks of the Cordillera Talamanca to the south, and by the fickle volcanoes of the Cordillera Central to the north and east. San José, the capital, lies at its center. At an elevation of 1,150 meters, San José enjoys year-round temperatures above 21° C (70° F), reliable rainfall, and rich volcanic soils--major reasons why almost two-thirds of the nation's population lives in the valley.
From mid-November through mid-May (on average) the Central Valley and the northwestern portion of the country are affected by an annual dry season. The warm moist air driven westward by the trade winds loses its moisture as it crosses the cordilleras (as described above) and the resulting dry air gusts down the Pacific slopes drying out everything in its path. With such low moisture content, few clouds form to block the sunshine and the prevailing winds keep Pacific breezes from bringing moisture onshore, thus, further promoting the dryness.
The elevations of Costa Rica's highland central valley range from one thousand to 45 hundred meters, and two volcanoes (that are periodically active) loom over the valley as if watching it.
Costa Rica has a tremendous variety of flora and fauna is the range of climatic conditions that result from the changes in temperature and rainfall as one goes up and over the mountains. The mountains and volcanos were formed because of plate tectonics.
Currently, most geologists believe that from 40 million years ago until within only the past three million years what are now Costa Rica and its neighboring countries were nothing more than a volcanic archipelago.
The Cocos Plate gradually broke into seven fragments as it moved east. Today the plates move forward at varying depths and angles. This fracturing and competitive movement causes the frequent earthquakes with which Costa Ricans contend. The forces that thrust the Cocos and Caribbean Plates together continue to build inexorably.
Mrs. K this is your marine science class, we're confused on what assignments are ours..do we do all of the assignments listed?
mrs. k-
i think its really cool that what you're doing goes along with our APES lesson! first the biogas, now the geothermal energy. i actually like this chapter because it really pertains to real life and current events =]
see you monday!
PARTY!
-Devon
The earliest human inhabitants of costa rica was found to be as early as 10,000 years ago!!!! :O
Hi Mrs. K its Paul Bumiller My fact about Costa Rica's geolegey is That the Nicoya Peninsula is the southernmost point of spanish influnce in the 16th centurey thus making Costa Rica the most southern Spanish Colline.
Two of the country's most renowned rivers in that regard are the Rio Pacuare and the Rio Reventazon located near the city of Turrialba about two hours east of San Jose.
Have a good trip. Will be nice to see you again.
From, Stephen Foss #32
Costa Rica is about the size of West Virginia
Its us again!(Ashleigh Ostermann, Lindsey Dougherty, Jamie Lebohner, Jessica Anthony Jamie Bracic).
Our geological fact about Coast Rica is that, Cerro Chirripó is the highest point, at 3,810 meters, and is the fifth highest peak in Central America. The highest volcano in the country is the Irazú Volcano. The largest lake in Costa Rica is Lake Arenal.
This is Ashlyn, Ben,
Costa Rica used to be a part of a volcanic archipelago.
The formation of the landmass of Costa rica can be explained by plate tectonics. The western-edge of the caribbean plate is moving westward overriding the Cocos plate in the Pacific Ocean.
Mrs. K,
The first assignment and this assignment I sent you were just from me.... I kept messing up
sorry
~Ashlyn
Most of the mountain ranges in Costa Rica are volcanic, the exception is the massive Cordillera de Talamanca in the south, the largest range in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is home to some very interesting balls. They were just huge spheres, ranging from 3 to 8 feet in diameter, that were found in the Diquis Delta region. It was thought that these mysterious balls were formed by the lava that was ejected from the Talamancas (ancient volcanos)cooling as it hit the earth. The second theory was the movement of ice sheets. These galcial beasts would push up all the material from underneath.
-Amanda Darc.
Hey Mrs. K,
I have a geology fact...
Okay so basically all of Costa Rica's Pacific Coast is covered by bays and inlets but there are two major gulfs-The Golfo de Nicoya (in the north) and Golfo Dulce (in the south), which are surrounded by the Nicoya and Osa peninsulas. Mountains lean toward the Pacific, coming closer to the ocean than on the Caribbean side, making the coastal plain only a few kilometers wide. North of the Golfo de Nicoya, the coastal strip widens to form the Tempisque Basin. The basin is drained by the Río Tempisque, and narrows to the north until it surrounds the Nicaraguan border by the juncture of the Cordillera de Guanacaste and the coastal hills of the Nicoya Peninsula.
Volcanic activity has fractured Costa Rica's mountainous backbone into distinct cordilleras. The mountains rise in the nation's northwestern corner as a low, narrow band of hills. They grow steeper and broader and ever more rugged until they gird Costa Rica coast to coast at the Panamanian border, where they separate the Caribbean and Pacific from one another as surely as if these were the towering Himalayas.
unfortunatly since i waited sooo long to post all the super cool facts have been stated so alls i gots is that at 50,895 square kilometers, Costa Rica is the second-smallest Central American nation after El Salvador. At its narrowest point, in the south, only 119 km separate the Caribbean from the Pacific.
Costa Rica is blanketed by 112 volcanic formations, created eons ago as part of the Pacific Rim of Fire. Geologically, Costa Rica is very young, emerging from under the ocean only 50 million years ago. Currently, “Costa Rica’s land mass is positioned at the western edge of the Caribbean plate, which is moving westward and overriding the Cocos plate located in the Pacific ocean”.
Costa Rica’s Geology--Currently, most geologists believe that from 40 million years ago until within only the past three million years what are now Costa Rica and its neighboring countries were nothing more than a volcanic archipelago. Using the theory of plate tectonics, which suggests that the earth's crust is fragmented in a number of sections that fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, though they are not stationary, the formation of Costa Rica's land mass is explained by its position at the western edge of the so-called Caribbean plate, which is moving westward and overriding the Cocos plate located in the Pacific Ocean
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