Reflections on gazing down at Volcan Arenal

I took this photo from the air shortly after we left Liberia Airport.

Located on Lake Arenal, this is a stratovolcano that erupted regularly from 1968 to 2010 and is now in a resting phase.

Volcan Arenal is the youngest of several volcanoes in Costa Rica. The vent is clearly visible, as are the marks of past ash flows. Perhaps the puff of smoke on the side is from an active vent.

I'd hoped to take a trip to one of the volcanoes while I was in Costa Rica -- but they were too far. The closest I got was to taste some Cerro Fuego (fire hill) coffee. Then as I left, I was lucky to see this amazing sight from the plane.

Volcanoes are part of the earth's continuous process of re-making itself. All over the world, people grow crops near them, or even on their flanks, because the soil is so rich.

Since the massive eruption that buried the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the volcanic soil at the foot of Mount Vesuvius has been cultivated in grape vines, tomatoes, apricots and other crops.

The famous kiwi fruit of New Zealand are grown largely on volcanic soil, which also enriches the pastures that support the country's huge dairy industry.

Volcanic activity may help fish runs as well. In 2010, after many years of declining numbers of Fraser river salmon, CBC reported the largest salmon return since 1913. Sidney Ocean Institute scientist Tim Parsons attributed the huge run to the unexpected eruption of the volcano Kasatochi in the Aleutian Islands two years earlier. The iron-rich ash that spread over the sea nourished a huge bloom of phytoplankton which moved up the food chain and fed the fish.

Isn't our planet amazing?