Today we toured the back side of Barú Volcano with Paul a 97-year-old geologist on the way to Volcan. What an explosion of information!
Started in Boquete
Twenty plus people rose early this Saturday morning to go on a much-anticipated tour with Dr. Paul Myers, retired geologist who just happens to be 97 years-old! Because of safety issues, they had to downsize the group by half because of stopping on roads with no shoulders. So several people agreed to go on the next tour!
Then we headed towards Volcan, down a windy road through the jungle. We had several stops where we gathered around Paul, Michael and Marteta, his assistances to hear his detailed description of the way the volcano had affected this area and their input. He described Volcano Barú, as “a half-ass volcano” because of the way the volcano cut away part of the mountain. Also, Paul let us know that it erupted every 400 years and we are now at 500, so watch out!
Geology Terminology
Immediately we learned about the lahar plain that extends all the way down to David. I had to learn geology terminology immediately.
Lahar plain is “also called a volcanic mudflow or debris flow. A mixture of water and volcanic debris that moves rapidly downstream. Consistency can range from that of muddy dishwater to that of wet cement, depending on the ratio of water to debris. They form in a variety of ways, chiefly by the rapid melting of snow and ice by pyroclastic flows, intense rainfall on loose volcanic rock deposits, breakout of a lake dammed by volcanic deposits, and as a consequence of debris avalanches.”
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/lahar.html
Another geological term I learned was debris avalanche, “Moving masses of rock, soil and snow that occur when the flank of a mountain or volcano collapses and slides downslope. As the moving debris rushes down a volcano and into river valleys, it incorporates water, snow, trees, bridges, buildings, and anything else in the way. Debris avalanches may travel several kilometers before coming to rest, or they may transform into more water-rich lahars, which travel many tens of kilometers downstream.
A debris avalanche rushes down the side of a volcano to the valley floor. Many such debris avalanches transform into lahars and travel tens of kilometers from the volcano. Typically, the scar created by the avalanche leaves a horseshoe shaped crater on volcano’s side.”
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/debris_avalanche.html
As we traveled to Volcan and stopped along the way, we saw evidence of both of these. Near the Cuesta de Piedra, we experienced a lahar plain on one side and a debris avalanche on the other.
Paul kept sharing so many details about how the volcano affected the area. He dazzled us with his unending knowledge and pleasant personality. I took notes on my iPhone, but they probably won’t mean as much to you as they do to me.
A Highlight
Paul told us the rock here is andecite which I had never heard of before. He showed us a sample and identified the different components of the rock. It looked so different from the lava rock I grew up with.
Paul’s Poetic Comments
- Baru is a “half-ass volcano.”
- You can read the landscape.
- You need to geologize your vocabulary.
- This scenery is telling its own history.
- Give or take a million years!
For lunch, we stopped in Volcan and had a traditional Panamanian meal which I love. It cost about $5 a plate.
When we arrived below the Volcán Barú Parque Nacional, Paul slowed us down to listen to the quiet and enjoy the serenity and spirituality of the place—no loud music, no jet streams overhead, just peace and quiet. He encouraged all of us to return by ourselves and enjoy the place in a more solitary manner. A lonely tree grew out of a rock!
Volcán Barú Unclouded
After a short hike, we returned to the visitors’ center and took pictures of Volcán Barú, but the clouds covered the summit. But because we waited, the clouds moved on and I got this gorgeous picture. Here we stood at 6000 feet—Volcán Barú stands 11,000 feet at its summit.
Finally,
I grew up near Capulin Mountain, a volcano in northeastern New Mexico and had visited it often with family and visitors. It has a crater to go down into and the area is surrounded with lava rock, so different from Panamá. This all felt so familiar yet so different.
Now I live facing Volcán Barú with a magnificent view of it out our living room window—another volcano, but now I know so much more about this unique one. A delightful day with friends learning about the major figure in our area, Volcán Barú. Paul called him, grandfather-abuelo!
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