The 2008 eruption of the Chaitén Volcano, Chile: a preliminary report La erupción 2008 del volcán Chaitén, Chile: informe preliminar

On May 2, 2008 a Plinian eruption began on Chaiten volcano. Dome growing stage would have started on May 10-12 and extensive lahars and floods affected Chaiten town (ca. 5,000 inhabitants) on May 12. A volume up to ca. 4 km³ (non DRE) of rhyolitic magma would be extruded mostly during the explosive...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Luis E Lara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN) 2009-01-01
Series:Andean Geology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-71062009000100009
Description
Summary:On May 2, 2008 a Plinian eruption began on Chaiten volcano. Dome growing stage would have started on May 10-12 and extensive lahars and floods affected Chaiten town (ca. 5,000 inhabitants) on May 12. A volume up to ca. 4 km³ (non DRE) of rhyolitic magma would be extruded mostly during the explosive phase. Eruptive activity has not completely finished by the end of November. Because of the wide impact of this type of volcanism, this eruption poses a series of questions regarding explosive volcanism that should be addressed in the near future.<br>El 2 de mayo se inició una erupción pliniana en el volcán Chaitén. Entre el 10 y el 12 de mayo, se habría iniciado la construcción de un domo y el día 12 de mayo lahares e inundaciones afectaron la ciudad de Chaitén (ca. 5.000 habitantes). Aproximadamente hasta 4 km³ de magma riolítico (no ERD) habría sido evacuado principalmente durante la fase explosiva. Hacia fines de noviembre, la actividad eruptiva no había terminado por completo. Esta erupción plantea una serie de interrogantes científicas que deberían ser enfrentadas en un futuro cercano dado el amplio impacto que este tipo de volcanismo representa.
ISSN:0718-7092
0718-7106