Volcano Erupts in Chile
Spews Ash 12 Miles Up
Source: National Geographic News
After 9,000 years of silence, Chile's Chaitén volcano is erupting with lava, ash—and lightning. The little-understood storms may be sparked when rock fragments, ash, and ice particles in the plume collide to produce static charges—just as ice particles collide to create charge in regular thunderstorms.
Rains following the eruption have carpeted surrounding areas in ash and mud.
Since the volcano awoke on May 2, it has continued erupting intermittently, blanketing the area in ash and forcing more than 4,000 people to flee.
Following 9,000 years of slumber, the volcano's five-day eruption has sent a thick column of ash into the stratosphere, streaming across Patagonia to the Atlantic.
The volcanic plume reached an altitude of 18.6 miles, and volcanic ash cover was 5 feet in places.
