Tenorio Volcano National Park
Encyclopedia
Tenorio Volcano National Park is a National Park
in the northern part of Costa Rica
, which forms part of the Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area
. The jewel of the National Park is the volcano, from which it receives its name. The Tenorio Volcano was made part of the National Park in 1995 and is located about 26 miles northeast from the town of Fortuna in the Guanacaste Province
.
Tenorio Volcano consists of four volcanic peaks and two craters. One of the craters is sometimes referred to as the Montezuma Volcano. Tenorio attains a maximum height of 6,287 feet (1,913 m). The awe-inspiring Rio Celeste (Light Blue River) is turned literally blue due to the emanation of sulfur
from the volcano and precipitation of calcium carbonate
. Thermal springs and small geyser
s dot the area as do rivers, waterfalls, lagoons and panoramic views. The upper area of the park is dominated by primary cloud forest
, while the lower regions are carpeted with rain forest. The Tapir
and the rarely seen Puma reside in the area.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in the northern part of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, which forms part of the Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area
Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area
Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in the central part of Costa Rica, near the Arenal Volcano and covering the Cordillera de Tilarán...
. The jewel of the National Park is the volcano, from which it receives its name. The Tenorio Volcano was made part of the National Park in 1995 and is located about 26 miles northeast from the town of Fortuna in the Guanacaste Province
Guanacaste Province
Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern part of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. To the north it borders Nicaragua. To the east is the Alajuela Province, and to the southeast is the Puntarenas Province. It is the most sparsely populated of all the...
.
Tenorio Volcano consists of four volcanic peaks and two craters. One of the craters is sometimes referred to as the Montezuma Volcano. Tenorio attains a maximum height of 6,287 feet (1,913 m). The awe-inspiring Rio Celeste (Light Blue River) is turned literally blue due to the emanation of sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
from the volcano and precipitation of calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime,...
. Thermal springs and small geyser
Geyser
A geyser is a spring characterized by intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by a vapour phase . The word geyser comes from Geysir, the name of an erupting spring at Haukadalur, Iceland; that name, in turn, comes from the Icelandic verb geysa, "to gush", the verb...
s dot the area as do rivers, waterfalls, lagoons and panoramic views. The upper area of the park is dominated by primary cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
, while the lower regions are carpeted with rain forest. The Tapir
Tapir
A Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
and the rarely seen Puma reside in the area.
External links
- Tenorio Volcano National Park at Costa Rica National Parks