Natural Disasters

Noises, rumblings and small tremors have been heard from Chaiten along with belches of hot ash and molten rock. Another phenomenon that comes with hot ash is lightning. You can imagine this is quite a sight to see. Since the first eruption on May 2nd 2008, Chaiten has been shooting ash and lahar has been flowing down its slopes.

In the initial eruption, the ash column rose as high as 20 miles but it has reduced by 75% to about 4 miles. The reduction of ash has not mean much because a volcano can change at any time. There was a sizeable eruption on May 7th which was 5 days after the first eruption.

Four days after the initial eruption, 4000 people were evacuated from the towns of Chaiten and Futaleufo. In fact, anybody within a 30 mile radius of Chaiten has been forced to leave. Not only is there a danger of lava and noxious gases, the flow of rock and mud (lahar) are a concern. This has already happened at Chaiten where it caused the flooding of the rivers in the area.

CU-Boulder geological sciences department Professor Charles Stern has concerns about Chaiten. He compares Chaiten to Pompeii where Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. and all residents were buried alive by volcanic material. Thank goodness there has been a mass evacuation. There have been no deaths reported.

The flood waters have receded but deposits of mud, ash and debris remain. The area around Chaiten has been declared off limits for the next three months. With the recent tremors and noises at Chaiten, we will have to see if this period will be extended.

Chile's National Emergency Office, ONEMI is very concerned and is closely monitoring the activity at Chaiten.