The Calbuco volcano in southern Chile has lay dormant for the past 43 years, having last erupted in 1972. However, yesterday the volcano took everyone by surprise by erupting once again in a very spectacular fashion.
The video below captures the eruption as it happened and it’s a very impressive sight to behold:
An eruption on this scale meant that flights were canceled and all people within a 20km radius across several towns (some 4,000 individuals) have been evacuated. The local city of Puerto Montt is covered in ash, and a flow of lava has been seen into nearby Chapo Lake.
As you can imagine, there has been some panic, lots of queuing for gas and food/water supplies, and the surrounding towns and cities put on high alert about the potential for ash clouds. A lot depends on the weather and where the wind blows the outpouring on Calbuco.
Although this eruption has a lot of people scared, local residents should be thankful Calbuco didn’t repeat its activity from 1893. Back then the volcano was spewing out 30cm bombs which were landing anywhere up to 8km away, and that activity lasted for months. These bombs are fragments of lava that leave the volcano in liquid form but cool and solidify before they land, making them potentially deadly.
Now authorities and those local to the volcano just have to play a waiting game with the eruption. Schools are closed and people are being told to stay indoors until further notice.
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