CHILE’S Hudson Volcano released three huge columns of steam and ash that combined in a cloud more than 5 kilometres high on Friday, threatening a much larger eruption that had authorities in Chile and Argentina on red alert. Chilean officials evacuated 119 people from the immediate area, and other nearby residents prepared to flee as melting snow and ice caused the Aysen River to overflow its banks.
The steam and ash were coming from three craters, ranging from 200 to 500 metres wide, and with earthquakes shaking the mountain, a major eruption could occur within hours or days, Chile’s national geology service said. Already, a plume of ash and steam spread to the southeast, toward Argentina.
The volcano is in Patagonia, 1,600 kilometres south of Chile’s capital, Santiago, and 750 kilometres south of the Cordon Caulle volcano that has intermittently grounded thousands of flights in South America since it began erupting months ago. Coihayque is the nearest large town in Chile to the Hudson, and just over the Argentine border, the towns of Los Antiguos and Perito Moreno were mobilizing for the worst. In a major eruption, prevailing winds could blow its ash across the continent, cutting off supply routes and air travel to far-southern Argentina. The Hudson volcano last erupted in 1991, melting part of the glacier that sits on the crater and triggering mud flows.
Chile volcano spews vapour and ash
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