How did the Chaiten volcano erupt?

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. On May 6, the volcano began to erupt with pyroclastic material, forcing the complete evacuation of the town of Chaitén, said Reuters.

What type of eruption was Chaiten?

caldera volcano
Chaiten is a caldera volcano in southern Chile that had its first historic eruption on May 2, 2008 when it erupted violently. Ash fall and lahars during the eruption largely damaged the town of Chaitén, which had been evacuated as the eruption started.

How old is the Chaiten volcano?

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.

When did Chaiten erupt?

2011
Chaitén/Last eruption

Is Chaiten volcano active?

Originally, radiocarbon dating of older tephra from the volcano suggested that its last previous eruption was in 7420 BC ± 75 years. However, recent studies have found that the volcano is more active than thought. According to the Global Volcanism Program, its last eruption was in 2011.

How did Puyehue Cordon Caulle form?

Cordón Caulle evolved during this time from being a shield volcano to a graben with fissure vents. This was accompanied by emission of ignimbrites and dacitic lava flows. Puyehue was characterized by eruption of basaltic andesites to dacites until its activity turned bimodal at around 34,000 years ago.

When did The Chaiten volcano start erupting in 2008?

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.

Is the Chaiten volcano a threat to Chile?

Chaitén volcano is one among more than 120 active volcanoes of continental Chile but its threat was not considered at a high priority level, mostly by the lack of reported recent eruptions (Lara et al, 2006) and consequently it remained unmonitored until the beginning of the eruption. 3. Chronology of the 2008 eruption and eruptive products

How big is the caldera of The Chaiten volcano?

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. Chaitén is a small volcanic caldera located on the flank of the Michinmahuida volcano in southern Chile.

Where did the ash fall from The Chaiten volcano?

On February 19, 2009, a partial dome collapse caused pyroclastic flows to descend through the Chaitén river valley reaching down to approximately 5 kilometres (3 mi) from the town of Chaitén. The ash once again reached Futaleufú and parts of Chubut province in neighboring Argentina.