Global Volcanism Program

Most Recent Bulletin Report: November 1994 (BGVN 19:11) Cite this Report

Phreatic explosion in January 1994

On about 15 January 1994, Bolivar Miranda, a SERNAGEOMIN chemical engineer, observed a 5-km-high explosive column rising above Tinguiririca from a location 65 km W. A photograph taken by his son, Matías, showed a distinct white cauliflower-shaped column on a clear day. Based on the shape and growth of the column, this eruption was most likely phreatic.

Information Contacts: J. Naranjo, SERNAGEOMIN, Santiago.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Tinguiririca.

Bulletin Reports - Index

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11/1994 (BGVN 19:11) Phreatic explosion in January 1994

Information is preliminary and subject to change. All times are local (unless otherwise noted)

November 1994 (BGVN 19:11) Cite this Report

Phreatic explosion in January 1994

On about 15 January 1994, Bolivar Miranda, a SERNAGEOMIN chemical engineer, observed a 5-km-high explosive column rising above Tinguiririca from a location 65 km W. A photograph taken by his son, Matías, showed a distinct white cauliflower-shaped column on a clear day. Based on the shape and growth of the column, this eruption was most likely phreatic.

Information Contacts: J. Naranjo, SERNAGEOMIN, Santiago.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Synonyms

Morro de Azufre | Rancagua

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Azufreas, Volcán

Stratovolcano

3690 m

34° 49' 0" S

70° 21' 0" W

Don Chuco

Stratovolcano

3590 m

34° 53' 0" S

70° 22' 30" W

Fray Carlos, Cerro

Stratovolcano

4012 m

34° 50' 0" S

70° 21' 29" W

Guzmanes, Los

Stratovolcano

3713 m

34° 54' 0" S

70° 23' 30" W

Monserrat, Cerro

Stratovolcano

4230 m

34° 48' 0" S

70° 20' 0" W

Natalia

Stratovolcano

3659 m

34° 52' 0" S

70° 21' 30" W

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

357030

1917 CE

4280 m / 14038 ft

34.814°S
70.352°W

Volcano Types

Stratovolcano
Pyroclastic cone(s)

Rock Types

Major
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Dacite
Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zone
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

10
47
1,883
881,383

Geological Summary

Tinguiririca is composed of at least seven Holocene scoria cones W of the Chile-Argentina border constructed along a NNE-SSW fissure over an eroded Pleistocene stratovolcano. The complex was constructed during three eruptive cycles dating back to the middle Pleistocene. The latest activity produced a series of youthful small stratovolcanoes and craters, of which the youngest appear to be Tinguiririca and Fray Carlos. Constant fumarolic activity occurs within and on the NW wall of the summit crater. Hot springs and fumaroles with sulfur deposits are found on the W flanks of the summit cones. A single historical eruption was recorded in 1917.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Casertano L, 1963. Chilean Continent. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields, Rome: IAVCEI, 15: 1-55.

Gonzalez-Ferran O, 1972. Distribucion del volcanismo activo de Chile y la reciente erupcion del Volcan Villarrica. Instituto Geog Militar Chile, O/T 3491.

Gonzalez-Ferran O, 1995. Volcanes de Chile. Santiago: Instituto Geografico Militar, 635 p.

Hildreth W, Moorbath S, 1988. Crustal contribution to arc magmatism in the Andes of central Chile. Contr Mineral Petr, 98: 455-489.

Moreno H, 1974. Airplane flight over active volcanoes of central-south Chile. Internatl Symp Volc Andean & Antarctic Volc Problems Guidebook, Excur D-3, 56 p.

Moreno H, Naranjo J A, 1991. The southern Andes volcanoes (33°-41° 30' S), Chile. 6th Geol Cong Chile, Excur PC-3, 26 p.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 2 Holocene eruptive periods.

Start Date	Stop Date	Eruption Certainty	VEI	Evidence	Activity Area or Unit
[ 1994 Jan 15 ]	[ 1994 Jan 15 ]	Uncertain	2
1917	Unknown	Confirmed	1	Historical Observations

Deformation History

There is data available for 1 deformation periods. Expand each entry for additional details.

Deformation during 2010 Feb 27 - 2010 Feb 27 [Subsidence; Observed by InSAR]

Start Date: 2010 Feb 27	Stop Date: 2010 Feb 27	Direction: Subsidence	Method: InSAR
Magnitude: 12.000 cm	Spatial Extent: 15.00 km	Latitude: -35.000	Longitude: -70.000
Remarks: Short-lived subsidence triggered by the Mw 8.8 2010 Maule earthquake
		Volcanic ground subsidence observed in interferogram stacks spanning the earthquake (with earthquake effects removed). We assume the ground displacement is of short duration compared to the interferogram time span, so we compute the stack by summing the interferograms and dividing by the number of measurements in the stack for each pixel. From: Pritchard et al. 2013.

Reference List: Pritchard et al. 2013.

Full References:

Pritchard, M. E., J. A. Jay, F. Aron, S. T. Henderson, and L. E. Lara, 2013. Subsidence at southern Andes volcanoes induced by the 2010 Maule, Chile earthquake. Nature Geoscience, 6, p. 632-636, doi:10.1038/ngeo1855.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Tinguiririca.

Photo Gallery

Persistent fumarolic activity occurs in the summit crater of Tinguiririca volcano.

Photo by Wolfgang Foerster, courtesy of Oscar González-Ferrán (University of Chile).

Tinguiririca is composed of at least seven Holocene scoria cones constructed along a N-S fissure over an eroded Pleistocene stratovolcano. The central part of the chain from Tinguiririca to Fray Carlos is seen in this view. Sulfur deposits are found on the western flanks of the summit cones. A single historical eruption from Tinguiririca was recorded in 1917.

Photo by Oscar González-Ferrán (University of Chile).

Alternating lava flows and pyroclastic deposits are exposed in the crater walls of Tinguiririca volcano. Hydrothermally altered rocks are prominent in the lower parts of the crater walls.

Photo by Wolfgang Foerster, courtesy of Oscar González-Ferrán (University of Chile).

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Tinguiririca in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

Affiliated Sites

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the MAGA Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

Large Eruptions of Tinguiririca

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).