With Little Warning Chile’s Calbuco Volcano Erupted With Ferocity After 42 Years Of Stability.

With little warning Chile’s Calbuco volcano erupted with ferocity after 42 years of stability.

On April 22nd, plumes of ash began spewing from the volcano up to 10 kilometres in the air, and resulted in a large evacuation process as well as these powerful images. 

With warning of as little as 15 minutes for some residents, this eruption highlights the immense difficulty in forecasting volcanic eruptions. Chile has 400 or so active volcanoes - one of the highest amounts on the planet, yet there’s still little that can be done to efficiently predict these eruptions. 

The proximity of high population density near large volcanoes seen in countries like Chile, Malaysia and The US have experts in the field concerned about the measures taken to ensure safety. Volcanoes that have been dormant for hundreds or thousands of years can still spring to life, begging the question; what can we do to ensure safety of these populations?

(Nat Geo, Vox, Time)