Chaitén Volcano Still Active
Posted by feww on May 14, 2008
*** Breaking News: May 19, 2008 Philippines Taal Volcano Could Erupt Anytime!
Update #2 Chaitén Volcano –
Chile President: Ash-Covered Towns Could Be Permanent Ghost Towns
A segment of the pyroclastic tower ejected from the Chaitén volcano has fallen on the surroundings areas amid the eruptive activities that began 8 days ago.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet warned that towns surrounding Chaitén Volcano could become permanently uninhabitable. Bachelet’s remarks follows a report by National Geologic and Mining Service (SERNAGEOMIN) which forecast probability the volcano’s collapse at more than 50 percent.
The increased build-up of pyroclastic material in the magma dome made it prone to collapse, SERNAGEOMIN said. An implosion could result in the “complete destruction of everything within a 15 kilometer radius around the peak, an area which encompasses Chaitén, Santa Barbara, and several rural farming villages.”
According to vulcanologist Luis Lara Chaitén volcano could implode releasing a streams of red-hot pyroclastic material which would destroy everything in its path. (Source)
What goes up must come down! Ash from eruption settles on the surrounding area
Photo by Victor Gonzalez, Partido Humanista. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice.
“Right now, everything is grey,” said Futaleufu Mayor. “We’ve got a huge layer of ash that a passing rain has turned into cement-hard” (Photo: AP) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice.
Chaiten and other towns in the area are covered in ash (Photo courtesy of Victor González, Partido Humanista) Source: Patagonia Times. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice.
Pyroclastic ash spewed two miles into the air (Source Dailymail UK). Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice.
A dead cow lies covered by ashes from the Chaiten volcano at a road leading to Argentina near Chaiten, Chile. (Photo and caption FoxNews!) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice.
Related Links:
- Parts of pyroplastic chamber fall around Chaitén volcano
- RESIDENTS IN CHILE VOLCANO ZONE WITHOUT DRINKING WATER
- CHILE VOLCANO ZONE MAY BE PERMANENTLY UNLIVABLE
- Volcano gets active, region is evacuated
- Thousands evacuated as Chile volcano spews ash
- Will one or both of New Zealand islands break up and sink in the south-western Pacific Ocean?
- Chile: Volcano activity prompts mass evacuation
- A Shrinking World: Salmon and livestock removed from Chaiten volcano range
- Volcano gets active, region is evacuated
- Thousands evacuated as Chile volcano spews ash
- Will one or both of New Zealand islands break up and sink in the south-western Pacific Ocean?
::
Fire Earth 
Chaitén on a Clear Day « Fire Earth said
[…] Chaitén Volcano Still Active […]
Karen Dionne said
I visited Chaiten volcano last April and hiked to within one mile of the lava dome – you can see recent pics and video footage on my blog. http://boilingpoint-thenovel.blogspot.com/
feww said
The Moderators expect heightened volcanic activity in Indonesia (Java and Sumatra) Kamchatka and the Kuril groups in the coming months.
feww said
Reidar – In a note released earlier today, NASA [grudgingly] confirmed, in their usual contorted way, that if “the eruption were sustained for many months” the global temperatures could be affected.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18040
Important Note: Researchers Kevin E. Trenberth and Aiguo Dai at National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, in a paper titled Effects of Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption on the hydrological cycle as an analog of geoengineering reported: “Following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991 there was a substantial decrease in precipitation over land and a record decrease in runoff and river discharge into the ocean from October 1991–September 1992. The results suggest that major adverse effects, including drought, could arise from geoengineering solutions.”
FEWW Moderators fully concur with the findings.
feww said
Reidar – If Chaiten continues to erupt for a year at emissions rates of about 50 percent of its current levels of unrest, the cumulative effects of the eruptions would be equivalent to “colossal” on the VEI scale. Its overall effects on the climate would be comparable to the cataclysmic 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines.
In Pinatubo’s 1991 eruptions, an estimated 10 billion metric tons of magma, and 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide were ejected resulting in large amounts of aerosols being injected into the stratosphere. The dispersal of sulfuric acid clouds around the globe caused global temperatures to drop by about 0.5°C from 1991 through 1993.
Additional links:
The Cataclysmic 1991 Eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines
Click to access fs113-97.pdf
SURFACE AND ATMOSPHERIC EFFECTS OF THE 1991 ERUPTION OF MT. PINATUBO …
http://eos.higp.hawaii.edu/education/slide_set1/
Mount Pinatubo, Philippines
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Philippines/Pinatubo/framework.html
You may also want to research Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat, West Indies, which began its long period of unrest on July 18, 1995.
Montserrat Volcano Observatory
Montserrat – USGS
feww said
Reidar – Our expert will reply to you concerning the Chaiten’s impact on the global climate just as soon as he can. Meanwhile, here are some links that might be helpful:
Ecology of Chilean dolphins at Isla Chiloe
Volcano Hazards Program
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/
Volcanic Gases and Their Effects
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Hazards/What/VolGas/volgas.html
The Atmospheric Impact of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo Eruption
http://pubs.usgs.gov/pinatubo/self/index.html
Global Volcanism Program
http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1401-04=&volpage=var
Luis Lara, a vulcanologist at Chile’s National Geologic and Mining Service, says there’s a highly dense build-up of magma in the dome covering the Chaitén’s crater, which could cause it to implode. According to Lara’s calculation, if the volcano implodes, and there’s a more than 50 percent chance that it might, it would release a streatm of red-hot pyroclastic material which would destroy everything in its path within a 15 kilometer radius around the peak.
Collapse of the crater dome could cause seismic shocks comparable to small earthquakes, measuring about 3.7 or 3.8 magnitude.
The impact on the fjord would be a nightmare scenario for the Valdivian temperate rain forests, Magellanic subpolar forests, Neotropic ecozone, Chilean dolphins, Peale’s dolphins as well as Chile’s flourishing fish farms in Puerto Montt.
Reidar Åmli said
To whom it may concern
Questions:
If the volcano Chaiten implode,what kind of magnitude earthquake could one expect, and what size of corresponding tsunami?
If the volcano goes on for one year at lets say 50% of the average emissions since start of eruption,would there be impacts on global climate?
What is the senario for the fjord between volcano,the isle of Chiloe and Puerto Montt regarding impacts on its ecosystem?
Is there a current monitoring of chemical composition of volcanic gases?
Regards
Reidar Åmli
feww said
Your message appears to be about misappropriation of funds by the ex-governor of Michoacán, Mexico.
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Reposted from: From Chaitén Volcano Still Active, 2008/05/15 at 12:09 AM
La verga vengadora said
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