Alert in Chile due to the intense increase in the activity of a volcano near Neuquén

This Sunday, the National Service of Geology and Mining (Sernageomin) of Chile confirmed that the alert level was raised from yellow to orange due to the activity of the Villarrica volcano, one of the most active in South America, which is located in the south of the country and at the height of the province of Neuquén. Since yesterday there has been a gradual increase in energy and occurrence in tremor-type signals (associated with fluid movements),” Sernageomin said in a statement, and called to pay attention to the instructions expressed by authorities. The volcano, which began its activity about 650,000 years ago and has an open crater 200 meters wide, last erupted in 2015 causing a massive evacuation that, favorably, left no injuries. Meanwhile, the authorities of the Argentine Geological Mining Service (SEGEMAR) through the Argentine Observatory of Volcanic Surveillance (OAVV) remain attentive to the situation. In fact, the director of Civil Defense of Junín de los Andes, Norberto Ocares, in statements replicated by LMNeuquén, made it clear that “in the hypothetical case of a strong eruption we could get ashes to the border, not to the locality,” and that “I informed all the local media, it is for information, not to alarm.”

Original source in Spanish