Chile is on the South American and Nazca tectonic plates. As a result of this, Chile often has earthquakes. Such earthquakes can trigger volcanic eruptions. One sign that a volcano could erupt is if there are frequent earthquakes occurring in one area for an extended period of time.
Around 2,000 volcanoes are spread across the Andes Mountains in Chile. Of these 2,000 volcanoes, only about 36 of them are currently active. After Indonesia, Chile has the largest volcano chain in the world! Most of the volcanoes in Chile are stratovolcanoes. Below is a picture of the Villarrica Volcano, which last erupted in 2024. It is one of the most active volcanoes in Chile. Although its last major eruption was in 1985, it has since had many small eruptions that affected neighboring regions.
While most of the volcanoes in Chile are inactive, it is still vital to have a strong plan on what to do in case of an eruption. The Chilean National Disaster Prevention and Response Service provides citizens with alerts and guidance if an emergency occurs. There are a few steps people should follow to stay safe during an eruption. One should:
- Listen to authorities to know about the volcanic activity and which dangerous areas to avoid. Stay away from deep valleys and canyons.
- Have things like water, canned food, flashlights, and first aid kits.
- Close all doors and windows.
- Cover water and food to avoid pollution.
The Chilean government also implements a National Volcano Early Warning System. This method looks at hazard levels of volcanoes to identify which ones need close monitoring.
Sources:
http://www.chileculture.org/volcanoes-chile/#
https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=357120
https://earth.esa.int/web/earth-watching/image-of-the-week/content/-/article/villarica-volcano-chile/
https://noirlab.edu/science/sites/default/files/media/archives/documents/scidoc0470.pdf
https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-surprise-eruption-chile-sparks-interest-national-volcano-early
Hi Sofia!
ReplyDeleteFirstly I want to say thank you for posting early. My country Haiti had no inactive volcanoes so it is nice to hear about one that does.I had no idea the Andes had so many volcanoes but that makes sense because there must be a lot of tectonic movement to make all those diverse mountains. Its seems like a lot hazards have similar safety protocols such as be well stocked on food and water and get to high ground. I also did not know what Stratovolcano was so I looked it up and it is basically steep cone shaped volcanoes.
Thank you for your post!
This was a thoughtful volcanic reflection!
ReplyDeleteI want to explain that for my report about volcanoes in South Korea are very little. It was shown that South Korea has 3 Holocene volcanoes. Forecasting (earthquakes as early warnings -although in 2014 a Japanese volcano erupted without any previous seismicity (livescience article), land swelling before eruption, gas emissions, etc.) Volcanic Alert Codes (USGS): the levels of alert and the aviation code levels commonly change at the same time (chart on right). A non-erupting volcano will have a green icon, and a red one indicates an imminent eruption (see USGS Alert Codes).
ReplyDeleteHi Sofia,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post.
This week, I learned that my country also has volcano hazards in my country. I found it interesting how your country has so many volcanoes, but only 36 are active. 36 is still a lot of active volcano eruption but I wonder why the rest of the volcanoes are not active.
Great job on your post!
Hey Sofia,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you providing such a thorough summary of Chile's volcanoes and the safety precautions in place. The extent to which the country's topography and tectonic activity influence local life is astounding. The Villarrica Volcano is particularly stunning and serves as a reminder of how erratic nature can be. It's wonderful to learn that Chile, particularly with the National Volcano Early Warning System, has such effective measures in place to keep people safe and informed.
As you said, it's always a good idea to be ready for anything and to have supplies like food, drink, and first aid on hand. Stay safe! Be careful! 🌋