Scientists warn half of Chile’s active volcanoes could erupt in the near future

November 1, 2011 – Santiago de Chile – The Chilean authorities have kept the red alert in the south of the country due to the Hudson volcano’s eruptive activity and also from the volcanic complex of Puyehue Cordon Caulle.  Although the Hudson, located in Aysen region, registers a minor eruption and the external signs tend to fall, there is no magma movement inside the massif, of a 1, 960 meters high and located about two thousand kilometers far from this capital. The director of the National Geology and Mining Service, Enrique Valdivieso, said that monitoring equipment installed, permit the control of what happens in and out of the volcano. We know how it is behaving, he said. Yesterday Pilar Cuevas, mayor from Aysen said Monday they will decide whether or not the cessation of red alert for Hudson, whose last major eruption took place between Aug 8 and Dec 29, 1991. The same applies to the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle with a flow volume of ash emission since last June and is checked by air navigation in cities of Argentina and Chile, relieved by periods depending on the direction of the wind. The main problem for the aircraft is not only visibility due to the ash presence in the air, but also the abrasive effect it has on the fuselage of the aircraft and engine overheating them that may come to a halt in midair. Jaime Valdenegro, director of the National Emergency Office in Los Rios’ region, also confirmed that the day before there was an increase in the precipitation of particulate material, although the massif, about 2, 240 meters height, has also registered a minor level of eruption. The Puyehue-Cordon Caulle is located in the Andes, about 900 kilometers south of Santiago, between the regions of Los Rios and Los Lagos. Its previous eruption was in 1960, after the mega-quake of 9.5 degrees in Valdivia city, considered the greatest in the history of mankind. All along the Chilean Andes there are around 3, 000 volcanoes and 80 of them are active, of which, according to experts, half could erupt in the near future. Among the most explosive there, are the Puyehue and the Hudson also the Chillan, Antuco, Villarrica, Llaima and Osorno, among others. The South American country has the 15 percent of all the active volcanoes in the world. –Plengish