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Report on Copahue (Chile-Argentina) — 15 July-21 July 2020


Copahue

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 15 July-21 July 2020
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2020. Report on Copahue (Chile-Argentina) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 15 July-21 July 2020. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (15 July-21 July 2020)

Copahue

Chile-Argentina

37.856°S, 71.183°W; summit elev. 2953 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


SERNAGEOMIN reported that an ash plume from Copahue was visible on 16 July. The Alert Level remained at Green (the lowest level on a four-color scale) and the public was reminded to stay 500 m away from El Agrio crater.

Geological Summary. Volcán Copahue is an elongated composite cone constructed along the Chile-Argentina border within the 6.5 x 8.5 km wide Trapa-Trapa caldera that formed between 0.6 and 0.4 million years ago near the NW margin of the 20 x 15 km Pliocene Caviahue (Del Agrio) caldera. The eastern summit crater, part of a 2-km-long, ENE-WSW line of nine craters, contains a briny, acidic 300-m-wide crater lake (also referred to as El Agrio or Del Agrio) and displays intense fumarolic activity. Acidic hot springs occur below the eastern outlet of the crater lake, contributing to the acidity of the Río Agrio, and another geothermal zone is located within Caviahue caldera about 7 km NE of the summit. Infrequent mild-to-moderate explosive eruptions have been recorded since the 18th century. Twentieth-century eruptions from the crater lake have ejected pyroclastic rocks and chilled liquid sulfur fragments.

Source: Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN)