I’ll be brief (as I’m in the middle of moving), but I did see a report that activity at Chaiten is increasing yet again. This seems like the operating mode for this volcano, with a waxing and waning of intensity, since the volcano started erupting on May 2. The latest report indicates renewed ash emissions producing an ash column that reaches ~20,000 feet (4,000 meters), with ash falling on nearby areas. There is also mention of some increased seismic activity at the Chilean caldera. The picture above shows the extent of the mobilized ash and volcanic debris that has wiped out much of the town of Chaiten (taken from the space station at the end of May).

One response to “Chaiten increases its rumbling … again!”

  1. Mariek

    Here’s a link for a recent NY Times article on Chaiten:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/world/americas/10chile.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=chaiten&st=cse&oref=slogin
    Also, I recent heard that the Chilean government has now decided that they will not rebuild the town Chaiten because the lahar threat is expected to continue for a long time.

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Quote of the week

“It’s not far-fetched that almost everywhere in the world where you have volcanoes you have mythologies or new gods being created.”

~ Werner Herzog