The ash from the volcano has spread east into Argentina and experts are warning of more activity today. “There is more seismic activity in this hour, and we think there will be more activity today,” Helmuth Huerta, a spokesman for the National Geological and Mining Service of Chile, told CNN a short time ago.
The agency said it was closely examining the second eruption, saying the spectacular nighttime eruption was “stronger than the first one.” Red alerts have been issued for Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas in southern Chile, both popular tourist destinations.
Thursday’s eruption was the Calbuco volcano’s first eruption in 42 years, and it caused fear and panic for the people in the surrounding area. The ash cloud rose to over 12 miles, forcing many international flights to delay or turn back from landing in Chile. Volcanic ash can be extremely dangerous to aircraft.
The latest international flight to turn back was Quantas flight QF27, out of Sydney, Australia. Five hours into its trip to Santiago it had to turn back to Sydney because of the ash in the atmosphere. Two flights from the U.S. to Buenos Aires, one a Delta flight, and the other an American Airlines flight turned back to their departure airports.
Thursday night and into early Friday morning, two earthquakes were recorded, the largest being a 3.0 on the Richter Scale. Authorities are warning of more earthquakes and are also fearful of the continuing ash cloud coating the region. Besides disrupting aviation, the ash could contaminate water supplies and adversely affect people’s health.
