November 6, 1966 Eruption of Rincon de la Vieja
Rincon de la Vieja in Costa Rica erupted on November 6, 1966 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3.
Where it erupted
Rincon de la Vieja, Costa Rica.
The eruption
- Date
- November 6, 1966
- Volcano
- Rincon de la Vieja, complex volcano
- Country
- Costa Rica
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
- Killed by
- Pyroclastic flows, surges and direct blasts; Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts); Gas (from eruptive craters, fumaroles and solfataras)
- Location
- 10.830° N, 85.324° W
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Sulfur dioxide dissolves easily in water droplets in clouds and rain, and it may be oxidized to sulfuric acid. Apparently very locally, concentrations of this acid gas were sufficiently great to irritate the eyes and exposed skin of persons in the vicinity. Although the eruptions have so far affected only a small area having little economic importance, the waters of the Colorado, Tempisque, and Blanco Rivers presently show a gray discoloration and a pH of 3.2, and are locally unusable for domestic or agricultural purposes. (Ref #13480)
On February 19, 1989, La Republica newspaper reported that in 1967, “Its activity affected agriculture and livestock in the lowlands of Guanacaste” and caused damages totaling 35 million colones. (Ref. # 13481)
NOTE: It is unclear if the amount of damages reflects the entire eruptive period and if the value of the colon is based in 1967 or 1989.
More
Every eruption in 1966The 1900sRincon de la ViejaEarthquakes near Rincon de la ViejaThis day in weather history
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-10-01. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 3766.