BobHarris.com - Chilean Volcanoes: Pretty Kaboom

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Chilean Volcanoes: Pretty Kaboom

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Wednesday, 07 May 2008

If you've read about that Chaitén volcano that just went kablooey in Chile, it's one of hundreds down there. It's an amazing part of the world.

That's Villarica, a couple of hundred miles north of Chaitén, but it gives you some of the flavor. Of course, you have to be ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.

In the town of Pucón, they even have a Volcano Alert Signal on the town hall. You can tell the volcano is exploding when the little red light comes on.

Alternatively, you can also look for the 20-mile plume of ash darkening the sky. Which makes it easier to see the little red light.

The only picture I have of Chaitén is this one, taken on the ferry to the island of Chiloe, from which the view of Andean peaks stretches literally across the entire horizon. (There's no way a jpg on the Internet can do this vista justice, but here it is, anyway.)

I'm pretty sure Chaitén is one of the prominent white peaks closest to the camera on the left. If this picture were taken today, there would be a monster ash plume extending high above those clouds.

Very lucky that the explosion was in a relatively remote area. There are similar volcanoes near Santiago and Quito.