Chaiten volcano

[RF]

There has been limited coverage in Britain of the Chaiten volcanic eruption in southern Chile, and I was wondering if anyone has seen any pictures.
According to the Smithsonian Institute this is a volcano that has been dormant for the last 9,370 years, a period of inactivity not uncommon in the Andes. Reports indicate that the ash vortex has risen to a height of 20 miles (32 kilometres) and that the jetstream is carrying the ejecta eastwards towards the Atlantic.

Have any of the Chilean and Argentine members of this forum been affected by this event?

[marcelo_malara]

Hi Robert:

In Mar del Plata, located on the Atlantic coast, 400 km south of Buenos Aires, the ashes have already arrived. In Chile two towns near the volcano have been evacuated.

[lwd]

If it is similar to the ash from Mount St. Helens the ash is quite abbrasive. The vials I had felt like talcom powder but the farmers in Eastern Washington estimated that 1 month of operating their equipment after the explosion was the equivalant in wear of 3 years of normal operation. It's also not good for your lungs so PLS take care.

[Karl Heidenreich]

The ash issue is quite dangerous. In Costa Rica we have at least 4 active volcanoes that from time to time find funny to erupt, which is a world of pain: complete zones covered with ashes; acid rains; crops destroyed. When I was a little kid the Irazú volcano has already a year and a half launching ashes, the ashes blocked a river flow and when heavy rains poured over the valley a lahar broke down and destroyed an entire town killing almost a hundred persons. This kind of volcanoes are also dangeorus because from time to time, depending on how much time they have been "sleeping", they blow sky high with a Plinian or sub-plinian eruption like Saint Hellens or Krakatoa. The most dangeorus here, Arenal volcano, blew in 1968 in a sub Plinian explosion that killed 80 persons directly from the blast and since it´s quite a tourist attraction.
Let´s hope that this Chaiten one disipates it´s energy in a long, non-violent, eruption and calms down. Other volcanos simply erupts for a time and then shut down... and some of them make eruption and when no body expects it they blew sky high.

Best regards

[marcelo_malara]

and since it´s quite a tourist attraction

I must said that the Arenal is one of the most beautiful places in Costa Rica. It is amazing that so much beauty can cause so much damage....much like a battleship.

[Karl Heidenreich]

marcelo:

I must said that the Arenal is one of the most beautiful places in Costa Rica.

Every year or two I take my family to a Lodge some four kilometers from the Arenal. At night you can see it spill lava bombs and fireworks. In January 2004 I was able to witness a minor eruption (big enough to scare the @$!!?? out of us). Beautifull and so dangerous!

Best regards.

[RF]

Fortunately in western Europe we have only two substantial volcanoes, and one, Etna, in Sicily is relatively placid.

It is the other one, Vesuvius, that is the problem time bomb. Three million people live within its immediate vicinity and it has been completely dormant since 1944. The eruption cycle of Vesuvius would indicate that it is now building for the big Plinian type eruption that happens about once every 2,000 years, the previous one being in the year 79. That eruption was preceeded by 400 years of complete inactivity, so we may have some time yet.
However no chances are being taken, Vesuvius is about the most heavily monitored volcano in the world.

Another threat, slightly more further afield, but should be of concern to people on the western seaboard of the Americas, lies on the Canary Islands, where several volcanoes pose possible tsunami threat to particulary the USA. In particular Tiede on Tenerife has shown signs of increasing seismic activity in the last three years. Geologically Tiede is I believe the third largest volcano on Earth (as measured from the ocean floor) and is fairly inocuous - except that about 600,000 years ago a colossal eruption triggered a collapse into caldera and a massive landslide carved out the Oratava Valley, northwest of the volcano, triggering a tsunami of unimaginable proportions. Tiede eruption cycle is currently about once in a hundred years, the last being in 1909. So tourists to the Canaries might get an extra attraction sometime in the next few years.

[RF]

Fortunately in western Europe we have only two substantial volcanoes, and one, Etna, in Sicily is relatively placid.

Unfortunately in making this statement I overlooked Iceland. The current eruption there has caused large volumes of ash to enter the jetstream, with the result that it is now being fanned out over most of northern Europe. It isn't visible to the naked eye from where I am in England, but the risks are enough to cause all of our airports to be closed now for two days.

[Bgile]

Fortunately in western Europe we have only two substantial volcanoes, and one, Etna, in Sicily is relatively placid.

Unfortunately in making this statement I overlooked Iceland. The current eruption there has caused large volumes of ash to enter the jetstream, with the result that it is now being fanned out over most of northern Europe. It isn't visible to the naked eye from where I am in England, but the risks are enough to cause all of our airports to be closed now for two days.

It's big news here in the States as well. It looks like it may last a while, too.

[Gary]

Stromboli is also a constantly active Aeolian island (North of Sicily) Volcano.

Yes, Tenerife is a monster size wise and Lanzarote is home to about 100 long dormant volcano's.

RF is correct that Mount Vesusvius is the potential killer.
To build a substantial city beneath it is a little silly in my opinion.
She may not pop for hundreds of years but then again she may erupt in a couple of years!!!!! - only mother nature knows and she aint telling!
Santorini (Greece) was another.
Long dormant but when she erupted thousands of years ago, its thought that the subsequent tsunami was what started the myth about Moses parting the Red Sea!

Martinque is another killer, when Mount Pelee erupted in 1902 it killed nearly 30,000 people and the pyroclastic flows destroyed ships in the harbour!
The largest RECORDED eruption was Mount Tambora in 1815 with a VEI of 7.
It also caused the following year 1816 to be known as "The year without a summer".

If anyone ever wants to talk Volcano's - I'll never refuse you.
These intrest me so much!!!!!

Cheers

[RF]

Gary, Pico El Teide is the world's third largest shield volcano, but I think you will find that the Canaries are geologically part of Africa rather than Europe. Teide has not erupted since 1909 and an eruption in its 100 cycle is now due, I believe that seismic activity is starting to be picked up.

I had thought that Krakatoa in 1883 was the most violent recorded eruption and the most devastating......

[RF]

And if you want to talk further on volcanoes there is also Olympus Mons and the sulphur blowers of Io.

[Kyler]

Not really heard a thing about the Chaiten volcano, all the news in the US is focused on the eruptions in Iceland since it is causing all the airport closing.

If you want talk about a ticking time bomb. The Yellowstone Super Volcano is rebuilding its magma chamber. Yellowstone is one of the most active seismic zones in the world, no big quakes but plenty of micro quakes plus in addition all the geysers and hot springs. Some volcanologists believe the volcano is overdue for an eruption. My brother is currently working out there, I'll try to get some pictures of some of the most recent activity, this including a lake slowly being moved caused by the magma chamber expanding. There are parts of the park that in the recent past large amount of animals died of gas poisoning.

[Gary]

I had thought that Krakatoa in 1883 was the most violent recorded eruption and the most devastating......

You could be right RF, I dont know - I was always under the impression it was Tambora, if anyone can clarify then please do.

On the subject of Teide, I went up it in 2007 and it was amazing, the cable car ride was an experience in itself.
I believe in terms of number of visitors per year its second only to Mount Fuji - that could change if she ever erupts!!!!
I am aware that there are gentle signs of seismic activity there and its actually overdue if we go by the 100 year cycle!!!

[Karl Heidenreich]

Nowadays in Costa Rica we usually had an active volcano, Arenal, that is in constant small time eruptions. However in the last year two other volcanoes had "awakened": Turrialba which opened a new crater in January and Poas which is having freatic activity to the point of almost drying it´s crater lake of 1,320 meters in diameter and 62 meters deep (it inly has 18 meters deep now). But now the other megavolcano, Irazú, is having new activity: a seismic swarm happened a couple of months ago with the main crater as epicenter and now the lake in the crater is down to only 70 cm deep... the problem is that I live at 10 kilometers from that crater.

On Irazú:

http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano ... m=1405-06=

On Turrialba:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=birku_GS ... re=related

On Poas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHOvMgxjuEY