Chile Forum

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Bariloche airport in Argentina now closed due to eruption.

Argentine press reporting a rain of ashes that looks like snow. Bariloche alcalde press secretary is recommending to inhabitants to remain indoors, to refrain from driving, to obtain and use dust respirator masks, and begin storing potable water. Visibility around Bariloche is reported to be limited and the winds are worsening the visibility in the area.

Argentine roads approaching the frontier control station at Paso Samoré are now closed until further notice.

Bariloche is about 100 km from the volcano eruption location.

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ulakwwtoUg

California South wrote:People in the area do have access to dust respirator masks? Just curious if that's SOP in that region. A good mask will help them enormously.

There is a good construction supply shop called "El Tehuelche" in Bariloche (similar to Sodimac) that sells respirators, and no doubt many other shops are selling the respirators like hot bread at this point.

Local word for dust mask is "barbijo." Regarding question whether having a barbijo at home was a common preparation for a volcano eruption, I would say unlikely, though the region just to the south of Bariloche (e.g., Esquel) was significantly affected during the Chaitén volcano eruption.

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Foto just in media in Bariloche showing effects of ash-fall there this afternoon



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CHILE

Unclear what the time was of this CL government announcement of an "explosion" in the volcano which produced a column of gases with approximate height of 10 km and width of 5 km.

El Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN) - Observatorio Volcanológico de los Andes del Sur (OVDAS), informa que hace 30 minutos dentro de las señales sísmicas que continúan en el nivel referido anteriormente, se registró una explosión y como producto de ello se generó una columna de gases con una altura aproximada de 10 km y un ancho de 5 km (reportada por un grupo del OVDAS trabajando en la región), además se tiene información de caída de ceniza en el sector del Fundo Caulle.

La dirección de los vientos al nivel del edificio volcánico está hacia el sur a los 5 km de altura y hacia el Sureste y Este a 10 km de altura.Personal de SERNAGEOMIN que se encuentra en la zona, reportó ruidos relacionados con explosiones durante la última hora. Por tanto, el nivel de la alerta volcánica cambia a Nivel 6 – ROJO: ERUPCIÓN MODERADA, teniendo en cuenta que el IEV es igual a 3.

Thanks Px, great reporting.

when did the earthquakes start? How much warning was there?

helibel wrote:when did the earthquakes start? How much warning was there?

The warnings for this one apparently started in April but it was ambiguous. Other places near known-historically active volcanoes can have similar long runs of earthquakes of the same magnitude and not get an eruption. At other times you might not get much more than 48 hours of warning before an eruption.

rasmataz wrote:Thanks Px, great reporting.

Same here, thanks Just been talking to family in Valdivia, seems like quite a few people aren't aware of anything happening. They also didn't feel the tremors associated with the erruption.

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As admin indicated earlier, Entre Lagos is being turned into a sort of refugee-shelter centre. In Los Lagos, two schools are being used a shelters: Liceo Internado las Américas (capacity 150) and Escuela Entre Lagos with capacity for 30. In Los Ríos, two schools also, Escuela Riñinahue and Liceo Antonio Varas, with a combined capacity for 400.

More explosions are being heard from the area of the volcano and lightning is seen around the volcano. Media reports are saying tennis-ball size rock projectiles are falling apprx 20 km from the crater.

Sites evacuated or soon to be evacuated on the CL side:

Los Ríos: Pocura, Pichico, Los Venados, Contrafuerte, El Zapallo, Futangue, Pitreño, Trahuico, Riñinahue Alto, Ranquil, Chanco, Epulafquén, Las Quemas, Licán, Boqueal, Rucatayo and Mantilhue.

In Los Lagos: El Retiro, Anticura, El Caulle, Forestal Comaco and Anticura Pajaritos.

There were confirmations that the eruption is not in fact from the Puyehue volcano itself (as I suspected earlier) but from a separate fault in the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle complex that includes the area of the Caulle geysers. This appears to be the same location as the eruption here 51 years ago.


Image from Union Radio

It's not easy country to evacuate people from, dirt roads, winter, a lot of places without mobile phone coverage...

To see where the tremors are centred, maybe this is interesting: http://www.oe-files.de/gmaps/eqmashup.html , it gives a nice combination of Google and the USGS service. Either pan to Chile or click on the earthquake of interest from the timeline at the top.

Which way is the wind blowing? East? or South?

thanks Px

Kel wrote:Which way is the wind blowing? East? or South?

It is headed for you.

No, miento...

Wind is apparently to the southeast. So it will probably miss you.

Should have some aerial plume fotos tomorrow.

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EDIT Plume shot earlier today, showing prevailing wind at that time.