English: On April 22, 2015, Calbuco volcano in southern Chile began erupting for the first time since 1972. An ash cloud rose at least 15 kilometers (50,000 feet) above the volcano, menacing the nearby communities of Puerto Montt (Chile) and San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina). The eruption led the Chilean Emergency Management Agency and the Chilean Geology and Mining Service (SERNAGEOMIN) to order evacuations within a 20-kilometer (12 mile) radius around the volcano. About 1,500 to 2,000 people were evacuated; no casualties have been reported so far.

The volcanic mountain was quiet until tremors began late in the afternoon on April 22. An explosive pyroclastic eruption started at 6:04 p.m. local time (2104 Universal Time) and vigorously spewed ash and pumice for at least 90 minutes. Lava flows were observed from the main vent. A second high-energy pulse of ash occurred around 1 a.m. on April 23, according to SERNAGEOMIN.

At 3:35 p.m. local time (1835 Universal Time), the MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a second view as the tan plume continued moving north and east.

References

Eruptions Blog by Erik Klemetti, via Wired (2015, April 22) Chile’s Calbuco Unleashes Dramatic Explosive Eruption. Accessed April 23, 2015. The Guardian (2015, April 22) Chile’s Calbuco volcano erupts. Accessed April 23, 2015. Mashable (2015, April 23) Erupting volcano puts on a dazzling lightning display in Chile. Accessed April 23, 2015. SERNAGEOMIN (2015, April 23) Calbuco. Accessed April 23, 2015. University of Wisconsin (2015, April 23) Gravity Waves Associated with a Volcanic Eruption. Accessed April 23, 2015.

Instrument(s): Aqua - MODIS