Copahue Volcano, high in the Andes
mountains on the border with Argentina, might be poised for a
significant eruption, causing Chilean authorities to issue a red alert.
Chile's Geological and Mining Service stressed that no mandatory evacuations have been ordered around the remote volcano, which lies about 280 kilometers southeast (175 miles) of Concepcion.
Seismic stations, operated by the Volcano
Observatory of the Southern Andes, first
detected increased activity Saturday. The
activity suggests a minor eruption, however, the agency decided to raise the
alert level because it could not rule out a major eruption. The service
warned specifically about potentially dangerous mudslides within a
15-kilometer (9.3-mile) radius of the crater.
Alto Biobio, a community
about 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of Copahue, is under the heightened
alert. The governor and emergency officials in Biobio province met
Sunday afternoon to discuss possible scenarios, including establishing a
plan in case a mass evacuation is deemed necessary.
In addition, more gas
than normal has been detected coming from the volcano. The black,
ash-filled gas has soared as 1.5 kilometers (almost 1 mile) above
Copahue and extended 13 kilometers (8 miles) out from it, toward the
southeast.
Copahue's last significant eruption occurred
from July to October 2000.
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