Chaiten Eruption Update 2

Ashfall

Update 5/4/08: Looks like there is now officially a deathtoll for Chaiten, as an elderly woman died during the evacuations. The volcanoes continues to spew ash and I wouldn't be surprised if it did so for at least a few more days. There have also been reports of a sharp increase in earthquakes in the area since the eruption. Now, before everyone goes nuts, this could be just a response to the dramatic release of pressure caused by the eruption, possibly faulting in the caldera walls activated by the eruption, or possibly magma working its way to the surface as the eruption progresses. Now, whether this means the eruption is waxing or waning, it is hard to say from the information I've been able to find, but it definitely will keep us on our toes.

More like this

Bárðarbunga is arguably the scariest of the 30 or so active volcanoes in Iceland. Extreme volcanoes don't always have extreme eruptions, but they are scary because they have the capability for extreme events, uniquely so. Bárðarbunga - under the ice cap at the top left - from Google maps It is…
As the three remaining readers may have noticed, I've been a bit too busy to blog for a couple of weeks. But other blogs go on, and right now, over on SciBling "Eruptions" there is a fascinating live discussion in the comments on the possibility of an imminent eruption in Eyjafjallajökull.…
Not long after Yellowstone Park was officially created, a small group of campers were killed by Nez Perce Indians on the run from US troops1. More recently, the last time I was in the area, a ranger was killed by a Grizzly Bear (so was his horse) on the edge of the park. A quick glance at my…
It's been two years* since the ground opened near Sidoarjo, Indonesia, spewing mud over the homes, farms, and businesses of tens of thousands of people. The disaster quickly acquired the rather endearing name of "Lusi", which is short for "lumpur" (Indonesian for mud) and "Sidoarjo". The two-year…