Is Chaitén volcano active?
Dormant for more than 9,000 years, the Chaiten Volcano in southern Chile began to erupt on May 2, 2008, forcing thousands of residents from their homes. In the months that followed, the volcano remained active.
What kind of volcano is Chaitén?
caldera volcano
Chaiten is a caldera volcano located in Chile. In May 2, 2008 it started erupting and continued on till late November for the first time in 9,400 years (Lara, 2009). The unique thing was it was the first large-scale plinian rhyolitic eruption to be observed.
How many people died in the Chaitén eruption?
Significant volcanic eruptions in Chile in the last 200 years
| Eruption | Volcano | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 05/02/2008 | Chaiten | 1 |
| 08/08/1991 | Hudson, Cerro | 0 |
| 12/25/1988 | Lonquimay | 1 |
| 04/05/1973 | Hudson, Cerro | 2 |
Why did the Chaitén volcano erupt?
The eruption that started on May 2 was unexpected because Chaitén was thought to have been dormant. During an eruption, some volcanoes build a dome of lava. Eventually, hot blocks of lava break away from the dome, triggering a fast-moving avalanche of hot volcanic ash, gas, and lava, called a pyroclastic flow.
What plate is Chaitén volcano on?
Chaitén: Plate Tectonic Setting Chaitén sits above the Peru-Chile subduction zone. In this convergent boundary, the Nazca Plate is being subducted under the South America tectonic plate.
What are 3 facts about cinder cone volcanoes?
Cinder Cones
- Cinder cones are the simplest and most common type of volcano.
- Cinder cones form over time from particles from fire fountains.
- Cinder cones are never huge and have a slope of around 33 degrees.
- They can be new volcanoes, or they can form over the vents of pre-existing volcanoes.
What is the size of Chaitén Volcano?
Chaitén volcano: View of an eruption column from Chaitén Volcano, Chile, photographed on May 26, 2008. The caldera is about 3 km (1.9 miles) in diameter from rim to rim. The knobby feature between the eruption column and the left rim is part of a lava dome that formed after the 7,400 BC eruption. U.S. Geological Survey photograph by J.N. Marso.
When was the last time the Chaitén Volcano erupted?
Prior to the May 2008 eruption, the most recent eruption of Chaitén occurred 9,400 years ago. It created pyroclastic surge and pumice flow deposits, and formed the rhyolitic obidian lava dome in the central crater.
What is happening in Chaitén Chile?
The Chilean government later ordered the complete evacuation of the town, and is currently planning to relocate the town entirely. Chaitén is a major concern to both the airline industry and the neighboring country of Argentina.
Where is the Chaitén plate?
Simplified plate tectonics cross-section showing how Chaitén is located above a subduction zone formed where the Nazca and South America plates collide. In this subduction zone melting produces magma bodies that rise towards the surface.