Chile: Villarrica has been the site of gas explosions and seismic events
PUCCON: Earthquakes and fires rock Chile’s Villarrica volcano, prompting authorities to alert for a possible eruption at the popular tourist attraction.
Since October, Villarrica, 2,847 meters (9,300 feet) high, has been the site of gas explosions and seismic events, with columns of fire reaching 220 meters high from its lake.
Alvaro Amigo, head of the National Volcanic Monitoring Network, told AFP that “although we cannot predict when the volcano will erupt, the conditions are there,” according to a daily activity analysis on the website.
The glacier-capped volcano overlooks the town of Puccon, which has about 28,000 people living just 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the summit. The area’s lakes and popular forests are popular tourist attractions, with about 10,000 visitors climbing Villarrica each summer, according to official figures.
“The problem in Villarrica is a risk because many people live in an area that is very exposed” due to the volcano’s damage, geophysicist Cristian Farias said. He warned that the community had forgotten the dangers of “what Villarrica can do.”
Read Also: World’s Largest Active Volcano Erupts in Hawaii After 40 Years
Amigo said the volcano is dangerous because its eruptions often produce volcanic rock and mud “and because it has a large population and infrastructure around it.”
Experts compare the current activity level with that seen before the last eruption in 2015, when lava, gas, and ash exploded 1.5 kilometers into the air, causing no damage before the volcano calmed down again.
The last eruption of Villarrica was in 1984. The National Geology and Mines Service issued a yellow alert in November for four towns near the peak, meaning no one can come within 500 meters of the hole.
The organization has also implemented an emergency evacuation and monitoring plan during volcanic eruptions. The yellow level is the level that precedes the orange alarm, which indicates an impending explosion.
