Situation Update No. 7
Posted:2011-06-04, 20:15:23 [UTC]
Ref.no.: VA-20110604-31011-MLC
Situation Update No. 7
On 2011-06-05 at 03:44:33 [UTC]
Event: Volcano Eruption
Location: MultiCountries Chile and Argentina Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex (PCCVC)
Number of Evacuated: 3500 person(s)
Situation:
The Puyehue volcano began erupting Saturday in southern Chile, leading the government to widen its evacuation order so that the approximately 3,500 people living near it are moved elsewhere, just hours after decreeing a red alert due to the intense seismic activity in the area. “We’re in an episode of significant volcanic activity. We have a column of smoke now 10 kilometers (6 miles) high. We even have news that it has reached Argentina,” Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter said. Meanwhile, the governor of the Los Rios region, Juan Andres Varas, said on Cooperativa radio that in nearby towns there is a strong “smell of sulfur and ash,” and from there can be seen a “crater of fire and a column of smoke.” Puyehue, some 2,240 meters (7,344 feet) high, is located in the Andes and its last eruption took place in 1960, the year that the same area was shaken by a magnitude-9.5 earthquake, the strongest ever registered anywhere in the world. This volcano forms part of the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic complex, which extends 15 kilometers (9 miles) between the regions of Los Lagos and Los Rios, some 950 kilometers (590 miles) south of the capital, in an area with few inhabitants.
The government had decreed a red alert just three hours previously, and had ordered the evacuation of some 600 people from both regions because of the risk of eruption, given that the area had reached the point of registering an average of 230 temblors an hour. When the volcano erupted, the administration decided to widen the area to be evacuated, though only in the Los Rios region, which would mean moving a total of 3,600 people. According to Hinzpeter, this process, for which the army has made a number of trucks available, is being carried out with complete normality. “We hope that in the process...we continue to have the collaboration of our fellow countrymen,” he said. Also ordered was the temporary closure of the Cardenal Samore border post in order to evacuate the people working there. Those wanting to cross over into Argentina can use the pass farther north at Pino Hachado.
Info4 Volcanic eruptions
World Map of Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Impact Craters, and Plate Tectonics | ||
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This site supports and extends a 1x1.5 m wall map available through the "Order" link [above]. |
 | | The map is designed to show Earth's most prominent features when viewed from a distance, and more detailed features upon closer inspection. The back of the map zooms in further, highlighting examples of fundamental processes, while providing text, timelines, references, and other resources to enhance understanding of this dynamic planet. The main and polar maps, above, are interactive, inviting you to make your own regional map, using whichever "layers" you choose. Data for any volcano, earthquake, or impact symbol can be found via the "Identify" tool. |
Back of Map | ||
Most new crust forms at ocean ridge crests, is carried slowly away by plate movement, and is ultimately recycled deep into the earth�causing earthquakes and volcanism along the boundaries between moving tectonic plates. Oceans are continually opening (e.g., Red Sea, Atlantic) or closing (e.g., Mediterranean). Because continental crust is thicker and less dense than thinner, younger oceanic crust, most does not sink deep enough to be recycled, and remains largely preserved on land. Consequently, most continental bedrock is far older than the oldest oceanic bedrock (see back of map). The earthquakes and volcanoes that mark plate boundaries are clearly shown on this map, as are craters made by impacts of extraterrestrial objects that punctuate Earth's history, some causing catastrophic ecological changes. Over geologic time, continuing plate movements, together with relentless erosion and redeposition of material, mask or obliterate traces of earlier plate-tectonic or impact processes, making the older chapters of Earth's 4,500-million-year history increasingly difficult to read. The recent activity shown on this map provides only a present-day snapshot of Earth's long history, helping to illustrate how its present surface came to be. Both the front and back of this map illustrate the enormous recent growth in our knowledge of planet Earth. Yet, much remains unknown, particularly about the processes operating below the ever-shifting plates and the detailed geological history during all but the most recent stage of Earth's development. | ||
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Volcano
A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a reservoir of molten rock below the surface of the earth. Unlike most mountains, which are pushed up from below, volcanoes are built up by an accumulation of their own eruptive products. When pressure from gases within the molten rock becomes too great, an eruption occurs. Eruptions can be quiet or explosive. There may be lava flows, flattened landscapes, poisonous gases, and flying rock and ash.
Because of their intense heat, lava flows are great fire hazards. Lava flows destroy everything in their path, but most move slowly enough that people can move out of the way.
Fresh volcanic ash, made of pulverized rock, can be abrasive, acidic, gritty, gassy, and odorous. While not immediately dangerous to most adults, the acidic gas and ash can cause lung damage to small infants, to older adults, and to those suffering from severe respiratory illnesses. Volcanic ash also can damage machinery, including engines and electrical equipment. Ash accumulations mixed with water become heavy and can collapse roofs. Volcanic ash can affect people hundreds of miles away from the cone of a volcano.
Sideways directed volcanic explosions, known as "lateral blasts," can shoot large pieces of rock at very high speeds for several miles. These explosions can kill by impact, burial, or heat. They have been known to knock down entire forests.
Volcanic eruptions can be accompanied by other natural hazards, including earthquakes, mudflows and flash floods, rock falls and landslides, acid rain, fire, and (under special conditions) tsunamis.
Active volcanoes in the U.S. are found mainly in Hawaii, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest. Active volcanoes of the Cascade Mountain Range in California, Oregon, and Washington have created problems recently. The danger area around a volcano covers approximately a 20-mile radius. Some danger may exist 100 miles or more from a volcano, leaving Montana and Wyoming at risk.
What is the history of volcanic eruptions where I live?
How can I protect myself from a volcanic eruption?
Find a Volcano by Region
Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program
| Mediterranean and W Asia | Africa and Red Sea | Middle East and Indian Ocean | New Zealand to Fiji | Melanesia and Australia | Indonesia | Philippines and SE Asia | Japan, Taiwan, Marianas | Kuril Islands | Kamchatka and Mainland Asia | Alaska | Canada and Western USA | Hawaii and Pacific Ocean | México and Central America | South America | West Indies | Iceland and Arctic Ocean | Atlantic Ocean | Antarctica |
All of the base maps in this section, for the world and volcanic regions, were generated using ER Mapper.
Citation Guidelines for this electronic version of Volcanoes of the World.
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