A Country Made From Magma

Costa Rica is an equatorial country that is located in Central America. It is here that two tectonic plates (Cocos Plate and Caribbean Plate) collide to form five distinct mountain ranges that elevate to more than 13,000 feet above sea level. One of those mountain ranges, the Cordillera de Talamanca in the Central Highlands, forms a continental divide separating two drainage basins. That is, water falling on the eastern flank drains into the Caribbean Sea, while water falling on the western flank drains into the Pacific Ocean. This extensive northwest-southeastern mountain belt also significantly impacts area climate with the Caribbean flank receiving > 118 inches of annual precipitation and the Pacific flank receiving < 118 inches, thus creating rainforest conditions. These tropical conditions support 500,000 species which represent 4% of the total species estimated worldwide.

Although this country may best be known for its rich biodiversity, this small country (~20,000 mi2) is home to six active volcanoes and 61 dormant volcanoes. No doubt, the volcanoes of Costa Rica are some of the most photographed in the world—as their dramatic calderas are often filled with emerald waters that add to their beauty– and mystery. Natural hot springs, fumaroles, bubbling mud pots, and milky-blue rivers laden with silica are common features found in the shadows of the steep volcanic flanks. In some locations volcanic maars have even formed—that is a crater resulting from a one-time steam eruption! Additionally, it is the intricacies of lava flows that have created Costa Rica’s impressive waterfalls which provide a unique cross-section of geologic time.