Santiago, Mar 3 (EFE; additional context by The Costa Rica Star).- The Villarrica volcano in southern Chile erupted early Tuesday, sending plumes of smoke and ash into the sky, and forcing officials to evacuate thousands of residents from nearby towns.

Evacuations were ordered in the cities of Pucon, Villarrica and Panguipulli, Interior Minister Rodrigo Peñailillo said.

Nearly 4,000 people have been evacuated and 45 people were left stranded by a mudslide that swept away two small bridges over the Turbio River, Pañailillo said.

Some roads that had been closed were reopened to traffic at 10:00 a.m., the interior minister said.

The volcano is experiencing a “weak and intermittent Strombolian eruption,” the Chilean Geology and Mining Service, or Sernageomin, said.

Strombolian eruptions are characterized by the intermittent explosion or fountaining of basaltic lava from a single vent or crater.

President Michelle Bachelet traveled to the area to get a firsthand look at the situation. EFE

 

The Nature of Strombolian Eruptions

Strombolian eruptions are named in reference to the small volcano-island of Stromboli, which is located off Sicily. This volcano has been erupting frequently for hundreds of years. Per the Geology Department at San Diego State University, the Stromboli:

erupts irregularly every twenty minutes or so to produce an episodic lightshow that gives rise to its nickname, the “Lighthouse of the Mediterranean.”

The pyroclastic flow produced by these eruptions is minor in comparison to that observed in the magmatic eruptions of the Turrialba volcano in Costa Rica last year; still, it is important to note that these are volcanic events that may shift the outer layer of our planet, known as the Earth’s crust.

In this case involving the Villarica, a dangerous landslide resulted from the eruption, prompting immediate emergency evacuation measures.