Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica

Turrialba Volcano, in Costa Rica, erupted on 12 March 2015, coating much of the nation's Central Valley in ash. Residents in the area were evacuated for their safety.

It was reportedly the most powerful eruption of the volcano in the past twenty years. The ash from the volcano spread over a 40 kilometre area, leaving a layer several millimetres thick.

The volcano has been active for several years, but grew more so during the last few months, culminating in these latest explosions, which were more powerful than previous eruptions. Turrialba erupted three times on 12 March, and once more on the following day. No new eruptions have occurred since then, but the volcano remains under close observation in case of further activity.

There were concerns that lava had also erupted from the volcano, but later analysis revealed that this was rocks at a very high temperature exploding from Turrialba instead. The ash cloud from the volcano is expected to be blown toward the Pacific Ocean. No fatalities or injuries have been reported.