Chile’s Llaima Volcano, one of the largest and most active volcanoes in South America renews activity!
The Llaima volcano dribbles lava. Cherquenco town July 2, 2008. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!
Llaima volcano, a stratovolcano, is spewing lava, Chilean Govt said, issuing an evacuation order which imposed a 15 km exclusion zone. The lava, flowing towards the Calbuco River, has reached about 1 km from the crater.
Llaima volcano eruption viewed from Temuco (Araucanía Region, Chile) January 1, 2008
Source: Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/8556851@N04/2170301355/); License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0; via Wikimedia Commons,
Llaima volcano erupted on New Year’s Day and spewed ash and smoke on february. The volcano’s last major eruption occurred in 1994. On January 1, 2008, another eruption forced hundreds of residents from nearby villages and tourists in the national parkto evacuate the are. A column of smoke reaching 3000 m high spewed above the volcano. The volcanic ash expelled by Llaima reached Argentina.
It is feared that that the lava could cause an abrupt melting of snow and producing waves of lahars that could bury the nearby villages.
The snow-capped Llaima’s renewed activity starts just two months after the eruption of the Chaiten volcano about 525 km further south.
The top of Llaima rises about 3, 120 meters above the sea level and consists of two summits. Pichillaima, the lower summit is about 2,920 meters high. The ski center Las Araucarias lies on Llaima’s western slopes.
Llaima is located about 85 km northeast of Temuco and 665 km southeast of Santiago, within the borders of Conguillío National Park, and overloks the Sierra Nevada and the Conguillío Lake. Llaima’s slopes are drained by the rivers Captrén, Quepe and Trufultruful.
Related News Links:
Related Links:
Fire Earth 