Volcano Journal Entry

Chaiten Erupts in Chile (May 12, 2008)

Chile's Chaiten volcano spewed hot lava and thick clouds of ash that rose high above the Andes Mountains. The ash showered down on nearby towns, forcing about 8,000 people to flee from their homes.

A layer of ash fifteen inches thick in places covered an area of sixty square miles. The ash ruined farmland and put the lives of about 25,000 cattle and other livestock animals at risk. Dozens of people were treated for eye irritation and breathing troubles at hospitals. Ash also contaminated the local drinking water supply.

Until this week, Chaiten was considered inactive. It's the volcano's first eruption in at least 2,000 years. Scientists are busy collecting data to learn how much magma has built up beneath the volcano's huge caldera, the bowl-shaped remains of an ancient explosion.

Chile has more active volcanoes that any other country on the planet except Indonesia. The nation lies in the region where the Nazca tectonic plate subducts or dives below the huge South American plate. Crust from the subducting plate melts and becomes molten magma as it plunges into the hot upper mantle. Eventually, some of the magma makes its way back to the surface through the region's many volcanoes.