Calbuco Volcano Erupts Again

Chile’s Calbuco erupts for the third time in 8 days

The Chilean volcano, located  about 1,000km  south of the capital Santiago, erupted for the third time in eight days on Thursday, sending yet another column of  volcanic matter up to 4km into the air.

The 2,015-meter high Calbuco, an extremely explosive andesite volcano, ejected about 200 million tons of ash into the atmosphere last week, blanketing multiple towns and communities, damaging the nearby salmon farms and forcing flight cancellation as far as the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, about 1,400 km away.

However, Thursday’s eruption was notably less powerful than the previous two explosions, which prompted the evacuation of thousands of nearby villagers.

The red alert  and a 20-km exclusion zone remains in effect, said Chile’s ONEMI emergency office, as officials evacuated an additional 1,580 people.

The total number of evacuees in the Los Lagos region now stands at 6.685  people.

ONEMI has posted the following update (Spanish) on its website:

• http://www.onemi.cl/alerta/se-declara-alerta-roja-para-las-comunas-de-puerto-montt-y-puerto-varas-por-erupcion-del-volcan-calbuco/

Related Links

•  FIRE-EARTH ALERT: HEIGHTENED SEISMICITY and ENHANCED VOLCANISM in the Pacific Ring of Fire March 31, 2015
• FIRE-EARTH Forecast: Heightened seismicity in the Pacific Ring of Fire March 30, 2015
• Calbuco Volcano Finally Erupts April 23, 2015
• FIRE-EARTH Volcanism Index (FEVIX) April 23, 2015

Calbuco Volcano Finally Erupts

Thousands evacuated as Calbuco volcano explodes

Located in southern Chile, about 1,000km  south of the capital, Santiago, the extremely explosive andesite  volcano finally erupted, sending a massive column of ash, smoke and lava up to 20km into the atmosphere.

Chile’s ONEMI emergency office declared a red alert and evacuated more than 4,000 people within a 20km (12 mile) radius of the 2,015-meter high volcano.

Residents of the nearby town of Ensenada and two other communities have been ordered to abandon their homes.

Calbuco’s last major eruption occurred in 1961.

Villarrica volcano, also in southern Chile, erupted in March.

ONEMI has posted the following update (Spanish) on its website:

• http://www.onemi.cl/alerta/se-declara-alerta-roja-para-las-comunas-de-puerto-montt-y-puerto-varas-por-erupcion-del-volcan-calbuco/

Related Links

•  FIRE-EARTH ALERT: HEIGHTENED SEISMICITY and ENHANCED VOLCANISM in the Pacific Ring of Fire March 31, 2015
• FIRE-EARTH Forecast: Heightened seismicity in the Pacific Ring of Fire March 30, 2015

Latest Significant Seismic Activity in the PRF:

Magnitude: 6.3Mw
Location: 12.025°S, 166.424°E depth=72.0 km (44.7 mi)
Time: 2015-04-22 22:57:15 (UTC)
Distances:

• 158km SSE of Lata, Solomon
• 396km (246mi) NNW of Luganville, Vanuatu

Earthquake Hits Offshore Chile as Villarrica Volcano Erupts

Strong quake hits Chile Trench as Villarrica volcano erupts

M6.2 quake strikes coastal Chile

Centered at 36.097°S, 73.626°W the quake struck at a depth of 10.0 km, said USGS/EHP. The main event was followed by at least 5 aftershocks measuring up to 5.3Mw.

EQ Details
Magnitude: 6.2Mw
Event Time: 2015-03-18 18:27:28 (UTC)
Nearby Cities:

• 82km (51mi) NNW of Talcahuano, Chile
• 83km (52mi) NW of Tome, Chile
• 91km (57mi) NW of Penco, Chile
• 96km (60mi) NNW of Concepcion, Chile
• 400km (249mi) SW of Santiago, Chile

Villarrica erupts again

Villarrica erupted again ejecting volcanic matters into the air, reported Chile’s National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN). The latest eruption follows March 3 Activity, which forced thousands of evacuations.

Villarrica volcano, aka “House of the spirit,” is one of Chile’s most active volcanoes.Image source: SERNAGEOMIN

• Villarrica Webcams

Current Warning Level

The National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN) and its National Network for Volcanic Monitoring, at the Volcano Observatory of the Southern Andes (OVDAS),  has raised the volcanic alert level for Villarrica volcano  to “ORANGE” effective 22:25 local time (UTC -3:00  hrs.) on March 17, 2015.

Volcano Details

REGION: Araucanía, Chile
Summit Elevation: 2,846m
Location: 39.42°S, 71.93°W
Base Area: 490 km² (corrects earlier entries)
Volume: 321 km³ (corrects earlier entries)
Last Major Activity: 2000
Last major eruption 1984-85
FEWW Ranking: Regional 3

Eruptive History

During a 1964 eruption, a lahar flow from Villarrica destroyed the town of Coñaripe, then located on the northwestern shores of Calafquén Lake. The town (population: ~1,500) was later rebuilt further east.

After the 1971 eruption, a series of lahar flows and toxic gas emissions from the volcano affected several communities in the Trancura River’s basin, leaving up to 30 people dead.

Related Links

• Villarrica Volcano Erupts Forcing Thousands of Evacuations March 3, 2015

Villarrica Volcano Erupts Forcing Thousands of Evacuations

“House of the spirit” spews ash, smoke and lava high into the sky

Villarrica volcano, aka “House of the spirit,” one of Chile’s most active volcanoes, erupted at about 3am Tuesday, sending ash, smoke and lava high into the sky, and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people in nearby communities.

Volcano Details

Summit Elevation: 2,846m
Location: 39.42°S, 71.93°W
REGION: Araucanía, Chile

Current Warning Level

The National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN) and its National Network for Volcanic Monitoring, at the Volcano Observatory of the Southern Andes (OVDAS),  has raised the volcanic alert level for Villarrica volcano  to “RED” effective 02:30CLST on March 3, 2015.

Eruptive History

During a 1964 eruption, a lahar flow from Villarrica destroyed the town of Coñaripe, then located on the northwestern shores of Calafquén Lake. The town (population: ~1,500) was later rebuilt further east.

After the 1971 eruption, a series of lahar flows and toxic gas emissions from the volcano affected several communities in the Trancura River’s basin, leaving up to 30 people dead.

The volcano has a volume of about 250km³ currently, with its base occupying an area of about 400 km².

Red Alert at Copahue Volcano: Argentina and Chile Order Evacuation

Chile and Argentina order evacuation of 3,000 people living near Copahue

Argentine and Chilean authorities have issued a red alert, fearing that the volcano could erupt imminently.

The mandatory evacuation order covers all residents living within a 25-km radius of Copahue.

The 2,965m tall volcano began spewing volcanic gasses Friday amid heightened seismic activity, with volcanic tremors occurring at an average rate of about 450 per hour.

Copahue volcano sits in the Biobio region of Chile, straddling the border with Argentina’s Neuquen province.

This photo released by the Government of Neuquen, Monday, May 27, 2013, shows a plume of ash and smoke rise from the Copahue volcano, as seen from Caviahue, in the Argentine province of Neuquen, Friday, May 24, 2013.  (AP Photo/Government of Neuquen, Tony Huglich)

[NOTE: The most probable outcome over the next 96 hours or so can be deduced from the photo.]

Related Links

• ‘Red’ Alert at Copahue Volcano December 24, 2012
• Volcanoes in a Dozen Global Regions Erupting May 19, 2013

• Volcanoes [FEWW Links]
• Earthquakes
• Volcano Watch Weekly [6 May 2009]

‘Red’ Alert at Copahue Volcano

Copahue volcano activity could intensify

Authorities in Argentina and Chile have raised the alert at Copahue volcano  in Biobio region to the highest level after detecting continued seismic activity on Sunday.

A column of ash and smoke from Copahue volcano rises above the town of Caviahue, a popular ski resort in Neuquen province, Argentina, some 1500 km SW of the capital Buenos Aires. Photo: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright. 

• Copahue first erupted on Saturday, showering ash on nearby villages and prompting many to evacuate.

• “The intensity of seismic signals suggests the eruption in progress is on the smaller side [however] we cannot discount the possibility that the activity could turn into a larger eruption,” said a spokesman for the Chilean Geology and Mining Services.

• The 2,970-meter volcano is in SW Argentina’s Neuquen province, near the Chilean border.

• About 3,000 people live in the vicinity of the massive volcano, including  the residents of Copahue, the town of Caviahue and indigenous Mapuche communities.

• The ash plume rose  to a height of about 1.5km (5,000ft) above the crater, said Chile’s emergency office (ONEMI).

Related Links:

• Volcanoes [FEWW Links]
• Earthquakes
• Volcano Watch Weekly [6 May 2009]

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GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
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• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
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Puyehue volcano update

Puyehue pauses, ash cloud persists

Argentine Patagonian resort town of Bariloche remains at red alert

The volcanic tremors  have dropped significantly, Chile’s National Emergency Office of was reported as saying. The tremors had averaged 240 per hour during the first 12 hours, but dropped to about 17 an hour on  Sunday.

Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. Utility workers use bulldozers to remove large amounts of volcanic ash from Puyehue eruption carried across the Andes easterly winds and dumped on their city. Photo: Alfredo Leiva/Associated Press. Image may be subject to copyright.

Nearby residents are said to be extremely worried about the welfare of their cattle and other farm animals.

“Ash was dumped like a snowstorm. The city is covered in gray ash,” a Bariloche official, told Chile’s national TV.

“We’re trying to stop car traffic and ask that people stay at home and close their doors and windows to prevent the volcanic ash from coming in.”

Bariloche airport remains closed, and Aerolineas Argentinas flights to the area are cancelled.

Meanwhile, officials in the small Argentine Andean town of La Angostura announced that the town of 16,000 people was on “red alert,” urging the residents to stay at home and conserve water, a report said.

Related Links

• Chile’s Puyehue volcano explodes

Chaitén on a Clear Day

Chaitén Volcano Natural Color Satellite Image

Chaitén: Natural-color image of  the volcano taken at about 10:30 am local time on March 3, 2010 by ALI on EO-1 satellite. Credit NASA.

• Large image available for download (2 MB, JPEG)

An Earlier Image of  Chaitén

Chaitén: Natural-color satellite image, acquired by MODIS on Aqua satellite, February 25, 2010. Credit NASA.

Related Links

• Chaitén Still Awake!
• Chaitén: A New Phase of Activity?
• Chaitén explosion causes partial cone collapse
• Chaitén: Volcano with a Mission?
• Chaitén: Volcano that Doesn’t Sleep
• The Power of Chaitén Volcano
• Chaitén Volcano Still Active
• Chaitén Volcano: No End Seen to Second Massive Eruption

Chaitén Volcano: No End Seen to Second Massive Eruption

A Shrinking World Series:

Update #1 – Millions of tons of volcanic ash continue to rain down on Patagonia

Ten days after the Chilean volcano erupted for the first time in thousands of years, volcanic ash continues to rain down in Patagonia.

An eruption on the morning of May 2, 2008 forced the evacuation of more than 4,000 people from the town of Chaitén nearby (10 kilometers distant from the volcano) and caused the death of an elderly woman. The eruption continued through to May 4. Towns such as Futaleufú were affected and water supplies were contaminated. The town of Chaitén and Futaleufú were completely evacuated on the morning of May 6, 2008, due to a massive new eruption, with pyroclastic flows and possible emerging of lava. (Source)

The scientists have expressed grave concerns about the potential long-term environmental damage and the harm to the health of people and animals in the area.

“It has spoiled lakes, rivers and lagoons, coated plants in a dense layer of gray, and altered the sensitive habitat of animals now struggling to survive. Satellite images show a white stripe smeared across the southern part of South America.” Reuters said.

A bicycle covered in volcanic ash in Futaleufu town, about 1450 km south of Santiago May 11, 2008. Chaiten volcano began erupting May 2, 2008. (Photo: REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice.

“I am tremendously worried because this is an environmental, social and ecological disaster,” said Alejandro Beletzky, an environmental scientist in Argentina.

“The presence of volcanic ash in the region, which falls constantly, is very risky for humans, plants and animals,” he said near Esquel, about 2,000km southwest of Buenos Aires. (Source)

Related links:

• 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
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