| Platanar Volcano | |
| Elevation: | 2183m (7,162feet) |
| Map: | Costa Rica |
| Label Position: | right |
| Coordinates: | 10.3°N -84.3661°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [1] |
| Type: | Volcano |
| Last Eruption: | Unknown |
| Age: | Holocene |
Platanar Volcano is located in the Cordillera Central mountain range. It is part of a complex that covers 900km2 and is dominated by Porvenir Volcano at 2267m (7,438feet). It is located within the Juan Castro Blanco National Park.
It has a destroyed crater to the northwest.[2] Prehistoric lava flows on its western flank; one of them, the so-called Florida flow, was perhaps created by Platanar's most recent activity. Cerro Porvenir has a truncated caldera at the summit with a cone inside. Both of these are part of a composed stratovolcano of Upper Pleistocene age that on Platanar's side overlies the remains of Palmera's collapsed caldera, of probable late Pleistocene age.[3] Platanar has erupted lavas ranging from basalts to andesites in composition.
The western flanks of both volcanoes are used for dairy farming.[4] In 1968 2500ha on Cerro Platanar were converted into a National Forest.[5]
On 30 March 1997 there were six earthquakes on the south flank, the strongest being of magnitude 2.7. A previous seismic swarm in April 1980 had lasted for 2–3 weeks.[6]