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Report on Llaima (Chile) — July 1984


Llaima

Scientific Event Alert Network Bulletin, vol. 9, no. 7 (July 1984)
Managing Editor: Lindsay McClelland.

Llaima (Chile) Dense columns of dark ash emitted from crater

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 1984. Report on Llaima (Chile) (McClelland, L., ed.). Scientific Event Alert Network Bulletin, 9:7. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.SEAN198407-357110



Llaima

Chile

38.692°S, 71.729°W; summit elev. 3125 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


"An eruption from Llaima's central crater was observed between 0800 and 1800 on 20 April, with emission of dense columns of dark ash that fell around the crater. The activity could be seen from Temuco, 70 km W of the volcano. Tourists and residents of the area immediately around the volcano were evacuated by police and forest guards, and vehicle traffic was restricted."

Geological Summary. Llaima, one of Chile's largest and most active volcanoes, contains two main historically active craters, one at the summit and the other, Pichillaima, to the SE. The massive, dominantly basaltic-to-andesitic, stratovolcano has a volume of 400 km3. A Holocene edifice built primarily of accumulated lava flows was constructed over an 8-km-wide caldera that formed about 13,200 years ago, following the eruption of the 24 km3 Curacautín Ignimbrite. More than 40 scoria cones dot the volcano's flanks. Following the end of an explosive stage about 7200 years ago, construction of the present edifice began, characterized by Strombolian, Hawaiian, and infrequent subplinian eruptions. Frequent moderate explosive eruptions with occasional lava flows have been recorded since the 17th century.

Information Contacts: H. Moreno R., Univ. de Chile, Santiago.