Costa Rica is intensely volcanic and seismic because the Cocos Plate subducts beneath the Caribbean Plate just off its Pacific coast. This subduction feeds a volcanic arc that runs the length of the country and produces frequent earthquakes, making Costa Rica a natural laboratory for volcanologists and seismologists alike.
Arenal became world-famous for its near-constant eruptions between 1968 and 2010, while Poás, Irazú and Turrialba remain active and closely monitored above the Central Valley. The country also experiences major offshore quakes, such as the 2012 Nicoya earthquake of magnitude 7.6, long anticipated by scientists tracking the seismic gap.