EarthScience Wire

Calbuco volcano in Chile erupts

Calbuco volcano on April 22, 2015 via Flickr user Philip Oyarzo Calisto.
Calbuco volcano on April 22, 2015 via Flickr user Philip Oyarzo Calisto.

After remaining dormant for 42 years, the Calbuco volcano in southern Chile erupted twice on Wednesday (April 22, 2015). An ash cloud rose at least 15 kilometers (9 miles) above the volcano, menacing the nearby communities of Puerto Montt (Chile) and San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina). Some 1,500 to 2,000 people were evacuated; no casualties have been reported so far. The first eruption sent up vast plumes of smoke. The second eruption later that night sent up red-hot rocks and produced a spectacular display of volcanic lightning. Airlines cancelled flights. Lava flowed into Chapo Lake, which lies lies immediately southeast of the volcano, on the same day.

The Chilean Emergency Management Agency and the Chilean Geology and Mining Service (SERNAGEOMIN) ordered evacuations within a 20-kilometer (12 mile) radius around the volcano.

The eruption also prompted concerns that the dust could contaminate water, trigger respiratory illnesses and halt air travel.

Dario Almonacid posted the video below to YouTube on the day of the eruption.

NASA Earth Observatory reported:

The volcanic mountain was quiet until tremors began late in the afternoon on April 22. An explosive pyroclastic eruption started at 6:04 p.m. local time (2104 Universal Time) and vigorously spewed ash and pumice for at least 90 minutes. Lava flows were observed from the main vent. A second high-energy pulse of ash occurred around 1 a.m. on April 23 …

Calbuco’s last eruption was in 1972. This volcano is considered one of the top three most potentially dangerous among Chile’s 90 active and 500 potentially active volcanos.

C.I.M.A.T – CENTRO INFORMACIÓN MONITOREO ALERTA TEMPRANA has many photos and videos on its Facebook page, including the three videos below.

ERUPCION VOLCÁN CALBUCO

ERUPCION VOLCÁN CALBUCO (time lapse)

Posted by C.I.M.A.T – CENTRO INFORMACIÓN MONITOREO ALERTA TEMPRANA on Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Timelapse del Volcán "Calbuco" de Chile en Erupción FUENTE:NoticiasVirales

Timelapse del Volcán "Calbuco" de Chile en ErupciónFUENTE:NoticiasVirales

Posted by C.I.M.A.T – CENTRO INFORMACIÓN MONITOREO ALERTA TEMPRANA on Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Erupción volcán calbuco

Posted by C.I.M.A.T – CENTRO INFORMACIÓN MONITOREO ALERTA TEMPRANA on Wednesday, April 22, 2015

The Calbuco volcano in Chile erupts Wednesday evening, prompting evacuations via @elrafaarenas on Twitter.
Image via via @elrafaarenas on Twitter.
Ash from the volcano blanketed the ground in some places.  Photo via C.I.M.A.T - CENTRO INFORMACIÓN MONITOREO ALERTA TEMPRANA
Ash from the volcano blanketed the ground in some places. Photo via C.I.M.A.T – CENTRO INFORMACIÓN MONITOREO ALERTA TEMPRANA
View of the eruption column of Calbuco Volcano from Puerto Varas, Chile, on April 22, 2015, via Aeveraal  at Wikimedia Commons
View of the eruption column of Calbuco Volcano from Puerto Varas, Chile, on April 22, 2015, via Aeveraal at Wikimedia Commons
Natural-color image of the extensive ash plume from Calcuco volcano at 11:20 a.m. local time (1420 Universal Time) on April 23, 2015.  Image via the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite and  NASA Earth Observatory
View from space. This is a natural-color image of the extensive ash plume from Calcuco volcano at 11:20 a.m. local time (1420 Universal Time) on April 23, 2015. Image via NASA’s Terra satellite and NASA Earth Observatory

Bottom line: Amazing photos as Chile’s Calbuco volcano erupts for the first time in over 42 years. Some 1,500 to 2,000 people evacuated; no casualties reported so far.

Posted 
April 23, 2015
 in 
Earth

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