Volcano Chile issues public alert as Lascar volcano begins erupting

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Chile issues public alert as Lascar volcano begins erupting

Authorities revise alert to yellow to denote an unstable volcano

www.independent.co.uk

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Chile issues public alert as Lascar volcano begins erupting​

Authorities revise alert to yellow to denote an unstable volcano​

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
2 hours ago
Comments

The Chilean authorities have issued a yellow alert after a volcano in the Andes erupted, sending plumes of ash thousands of metres into the sky and triggering earthquakes.

Lascar, a volcano located in the north of the country, flared up on Saturday at around 2.36am local time, Chile's National Geology and Mining Service said.

The volcano sent a column of ash and gases nearly 6,000m above its crater. Lascar erupted in 1993 and since then minor volcanic activity has been reported there in 2006 and 2015.

Residents of the town of Talabre in the Antofagasta region, located less than 15km from the active volcano, were the first to notice volcanic activity, AFP reported.

The town was alerted by the authorities in case of an evacuation, but no property has been damaged so far.

The warning system for Lascar has now been raised from its lowest level of green to yellow, indicating that the volcano is “unstable”. The authorities have set up a 5km no-entry perimeter from the volcano's crater.

The volcano reaches a maximum elevation of 5,592m above sea level and is 70km from the popular tourist destination of San Pedro de Atacama.

View of the Lascar volcano during an eruptive pulse in Peine, Antofagasta region
(AFP/Getty)

In the southern part of the country, yellow alerts remain in effect for regions around the Nevados de Chillan volcanic complex and the Villarica Volcano.

Meanwhile, the alert level for the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island was lowered from a warning to a watch on Saturday after the mountain’s first eruption in nearly 40 years.

The US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a bulletin that the eruption on the mountain’s northeast rift zone was continuing, but lava output and volcanic gas emissions were “greatly reduced”.

 

[packyderms_wife]

If you read this thread and the other thread I posted today about a Chilean volcanic eruption, and thought to yourself TWO volcanic eruptions in Chile in six days, then you'd be correct!

 

[packyderms_wife]

Lascar Volcano in Chile stirs, sending plume skyward

A volcano in the Andes in Chile's north rumbled to life early Saturday, triggering minor earth tremors and sending a plume of smoke and ash 6,000 meters (nearly 20,000 feet) into a clear sky.

www.france24.com

Santiago (AFP) – A volcano in the Andes in Chile's north rumbled to life early Saturday, triggering minor earth tremors and sending a plume of smoke and ash 6,000 meters (nearly 20,000 feet) into a clear sky.

Chile's National Geology and Mining Service reported that at 12:36 am (15:36 GMT) the Lascar Volcano stirred.

The volcano sent "an eruptive column" comprising volcanic ash and hot gases 6,000 meters above its crater, the service said.

Authorities alerted the nearest town, Talabre, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the volcano, in case evacuations were required. But no property damage was reported, and the service maintained a green level, the lowest level of alert.

Lascar, with an elevation of 5,592 meters (18,346 feet) above sea level, is 70 kilometers (44 miles) from San Pedro de Atacama, a popular tourist center that draws visitors for trekking, amateur astronomy and visits to the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth.

Lascar erupted in 1993 but also had lesser volcanic activity in 2006 and 2015.

Farther to the south, yellow alerts remain in effect for regions around the Nevados de Chillan volcanic complex, 385 kilometers (240 miles) south of the capital of Santiago, and the Villarica Volcano 800 kilometers (500 miles) to the south.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Yes, that's two volcanoes erupting in Chile this week!

 

[packyderms_wife]

 

[packyderms_wife]

Looks like Mt. Saint Helens post eruption.

Lascar (volcano) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Lascar is a stratovolcano in Chile within the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, a volcanic arc that spans Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. It is the most active volcano in the region, with records of eruptions going back to 1848. It is composed of two separate cones with several summit craters. The westernmost crater of the eastern cone is presently active. Volcanic activity is characterized by constant release of volcanic gas and occasional vulcanian eruptions.

Lascar has been active since at least 56,000 years ago, though some argue for activity beginning 220,000 years ago. The first known activity occurred at the eastern cone and was characterized by lava flows, before shifting to the western cone where lava domes were emplaced. An eruption event known as Piedras Grandes was followed by the large Soncor eruption. A new western edifice was constructed on top of the Soncor vent, during the Holocene activity then shifted again to the eastern edifice and continues there to this day. The magma supplied to the volcano ultimately comes from the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South America Plate. A number of other volcanoes are found in the region, such as Aguas Calientes, Cordon de Puntas Negras and the giant La Pacana caldera.

The volcano experienced at least three major eruptions throughout its history: One is the Soncor eruption about 26,450 ± 500 years ago, another in 7,250 BCE and the third in 1993. The first of these eruptions released 10–15 cubic kilometres (2.4–3.6 cu mi) of material and is known as the Soncor eruption. The largest eruption of Lascar known to recorded history occurred in April 1993 and caused ash fall as far away as Buenos Aires. Because Lascar is located in a remote area, it is monitored primarily by remote sensing. Explosive eruptions are the greatest hazard at Lascar.

 

[packyderms_wife]

 

[packyderms_wife]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThkYN5njpKs


RT 3:59 - GeologyHub

Lascar Volcano Eruption Update; New Lava Dome Forms, 10 KM Exclusion Zone​

On January 30th of 2023, a new distinct eruption of the Lascar volcano began, as a lava dome began growing in a summit crater of this more than 18,000 foot tall volcano. This poses a concern as odds are this lava dome will eventually be destroyed in an explosive eruption. While this eventual explosive eruption could occur rather soon, it could also occur many weeks or months from now. This video will discuss the ongoing situation at the Lascar voclano in Chile and what might happen next.