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The Puyehue Eruption

The Puyehue volcano is located in the Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle volcano ring, situated roughly 800km south of Santiago, the capital of Chile.

It's co-ordinates are 40.590 S, 72.117 W.

Puyehue erupted on Saturday the 4th of June, 2011; sending a 10km high plume of ash into the atmosphere. This occured after 51 years of inactivity.

Volcanic eruptions are generally caused when:

  • Magma rises through weaknesses in the Earth’s crust.
  • Pressure builds up beneath the Earth’s surface.
  • When this pressure is released, for example as a result of plate movement, the magma explodes to the surface, causing a volcanic eruption.

The tectonic activity

occurred along the plate boundary

where the Nazca Plate is subducting

beneath the South American Plate

  • A bit more of a detailed description of what occured at the plate boundary is:
  • • The Nazca Plate, which is moving east, collides with the South American Plate, which is moving west. As the Nazca plate is of oceanic crust, and the South American Plate is of continental crust, the Nazca plate is denser and sinks back into the Earth’s mantle, creating a subduction zone.
  • • Shallow earthquakes are caused when the plates collide, and deep-focus earthquakes occur along the subduction zone as the oceanic crust descends into the mantle.
  • • The crustal portion of the subducting slab contains a significant amount of surface water. The increasing temperatures of the mantle causes the slab to release the water, which assists with lowering the temperature, thus causing the oceanic crust to melt.
  • • The magma produced by this rises, to form part of the magma chamber beneath the volcano. Pressure then build ups up beneath the Earth’s surface.
  • • Tectonic activity created by plate collision then causes the volcano to erupt.

Spread of ash cloud

across Chile, Argentina

and Uruguay

The ash fall was very

thick in many cities, including

in the Argentinean cities of

Villa la Angostura, Bariloche.

This caused many road traffic

issues.

The far spread ash cloud

resulted in much damage to

livestock, due to respiratory issues

caused by the particles of ash

As ash affects the

functionality of aeroplane

engines, 6 aiports were

closed in Argentina and

international flights were

restricted

Recurrence?

Bibliography

• Earth Observatory Retrieved on 8/5/15 from: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=50862

• Chile volcano chain: Puyehue erupts, forcing evacuation Retrieved on 8/5/15 from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-13657187

• PUYEHUE (Puyehue-Cordón Caulle): Hazard and damage! Retrieved on 8/5/15 from: http://www.v-e-i.de/vhdl/project/puyehue.html

• Puyehue-Cordon Caulle Retrieved on 8/5/15 from: http://www.volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=357150

• Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcano Retrieved on 8/5/15 from: http://www.volcanolive.com/puyehue.html

• Puyehue volcano eruptions Retrieved on 17/5/15 from: http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/puyehue-cordon_caulle-eruptions.html#er250

• Earthquake Definitions Retrieved on 17/5/15 from: http://www.ses.vic.gov.au/prepare/prepare-resources/earthquake-definitions

• Volcanic Ash and Pumice from Puyehue Retrieved on 17/5/15 from: http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/06/volcanic-ash-and-pumice-from-puyehue/100088/

• Subduction Zones Retrieved on 17/5/15 from: http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/subducvolc_page.html

  • Therefore, the likelihood of a recurrence in seismic and volcanic activity along this plate boundary, and in the Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle volcano ring, is high.

  • The collision of the Nazca Plate and South American plate will place significant stress upon the tectonic plates, which will result ultimately in more seismic and volcanic activity. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and mass ground movements are frequent occurrences in Chile as a result of this tectonic plate tension. The subduction zone along Chile’s coast has produced the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. Also, earthquakes are notorious for triggering volcanic eruptions.

Type of Plate Boundary

Recurrence?

There were no deaths as a result of the eruption, and no injuries were recorded.

  • There is evidence that the South American Plate is in motion; it is moving westward. The eastward moving, and more dense (because it is comprised of oceanic crust) Nazca Plate is subducting under the western edge of the South American Plate at a rate of 77mm per year. This collision of plates is responsible for the lifting of the Andes Mountains and for creating the volcanoes which are scattered throughout them.

Plate Boundary

Impact of the Disaster

Other impacts include:

• The ash cloud produced by the eruption crossed Chile’s borders and precipitated over the Argentinean cities of Villa la Angostura, Bariloche and the northern part of Chubut province.

• Price of transportation greatly rose: Ferry company TT Line charged overpriced fares of $300 (original price for tickets was $99).

• Power failures due to ash settling on power lines and bringing them down.

Type of Plate Boundary

Impacts of the disaster include:

• Evacuation: 3500 people were evacuated prior to the eruption.

• Environmental damage: Lake Nahuel Huapi was contaminated with ash. The Nilahue River was also at risk of flooding due to pyroclastic material that filled it. The temperature of the Nilahue River rose to 45 °C, and killed an estimated 4.5 million fish.

• Air traffic: As a result of the ash cloud, many airports were closed: 6 airports in Argentina, and 283 cancelled flights, leaving 41000 people stranded.

• Economical damage: By July 2011, the economic loss overall for Chile was estimated to be $600million. The farming industry suffered greatly, due to death of livestock. The tourism industry also suffered as international flights were restricted after the eruption.

Subduction zone – is an area when the oceanic crust is forced downwards and destroyed due to extremely high pressure.

The friction + increased temperature in the mantle melt the oceanic crust.

The swarm of seismic activity that lead to the eruption of the Puyehue eruption was a result of the Nazca plate colliding with the South American plate.

Where these two plates meet, it is called a convergent plate boundary. This is where an oceanic plate colliding with a continental plate is forced downwards, and a subduction zone is formed.

Where?

Cause of the disaster

** The tectonic plates are constantly moving because of the convection currents beneath the Earth's surface**

So what happend at the plate boundary?

  • Briefly, the process that caused the eruption is:
  • • Nazca Plate and South American Plate are moving towards each other at different rates.
  • • Nazca Plate collides with South American Plate. This was the cause of the 1450 earthquakes that occurred on the 3rd of June, one day before the eruption.
  • • Nazca Plate is then forced downwards (it is comprised of oceanic crust and is therefore denser, so it ‘sinks’).
  • • The oceanic crust then melts to form magma
  • • This newly formed magma rises ( this is because it is lighter).
  • Pressure builds up.
  • More tectonic activity releases this pressure.
  • • The Puyehue volcano erupts.

So what happend at the plate boundary?

Distance of Tectonic Activity from Puyehue Eruption

The tectonic activity that resulted in the Puyehue eruption occurred roughly 120-150km away from the area of disaster, along the South American Plate boundary. This tectonic activity was the result of the Nazca Plate colliding with the South American Plate along the subduction zone.

Cause of Damage

Damaging effects of ash include:

• Water supply: contaminates large supplies of water

• Food sources: can cause respiratory problems in livestock, resulting in mass death of livestock

• Wastewater treatment: ash can clog sewage lines

• Transportation: affects the functionality of aeroplane engines

The ash cloud from the Puyehue eruption caused most of the damage to surrounding areas. Ash and floating pumice stones contaminated nearby lakes and rivers, and threatened to damage dams and cause major flooding. The ash cloud settled over many Argentinean cities, including Villa la Angostura, Bariloche and the northern part of Chubut province. The ash cloud also circled high in the atmosphere, disrupting air traffic as far away as Australia and New Zealand.

Ashley Saultry

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