Barva Volcano is an andesitic stratovolcano complex in central Costa Rica, north of San José, in Heredia Province. It is the highest point in Braulio Carrillo National Park at . One source states that it is the largest volcano in Central America by area and volume, being about in diameter.
Geology The volcano rests on the Panama tectonic microplate.
It has multiple peaks, with the three principal summits visible from the Central Valley given the name "Las Tres Marías" ("The Three Marys") by the locals. There is a crater and "at least a dozen eruptive centers on its summit and several satellite cones on its northern and southern flanks." The central and northwestern summits are made up of four cones, while the southwestern peak has at least four. It has a slope angle of around 20°.
One of the main craters has a lake called Laguna de Barva (Barva Lagoon) at an altitude of , an area of , a depth of around and spanning . To its north, there is another volcanic crater lake, Lake Danta, spanning , at around the same altitude.
There are lava flows on the southern side of the volcano, with the latest, the Los Angeles flow originating from the Cerro Redondo cone, almost reaching the city of Heredia. The lava consists of andesites, olivine basalts, and dacites.
Cacho Negro Volcano is part of the Barva Volcano complex.
The last confirmed eruptive activity at Barva Volcano has been dated to 6,050 ± 1000 years ago. There were reports of eruptions in the 1760s and in 1867, but investigations at the summit did not find evidence to confirm the reports.
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