Chronology and impact of the 2011 Cordón Caulle eruption, Chile

Abstract

Abstract. We present a detailed chronological reconstruction of the 2011 eruption of the Cordón Caulle volcano (Chile) based on information derived from newspapers, scientific reports and satellite images. Chronology of associated volcanic processes and their local and regional effects (i.e. precursory activity, tephra fallout, lahars, pyroclastic density currents, lava flows) are also presented. The eruption had a severe impact on the ecosystem and on various economic sectors, including aviation, tourism, agriculture and fishing industry. Urban areas and critical infrastructures, such as airports, hospitals and roads, were also impacted. The concentration of PM 10 (particulate matter ≤ 10 µm) was measured during and after the eruption, showing that maximum safety threshold levels of daily and annual exposures were surpassed in several occasions. Probabilistic analyses suggest that this combination of atmospheric and eruptive conditions has a probability of occurrence of about 1 %. The management of the crisis, including evacuation of people, is discussed, as well as the comparison with the impact associated with other recent eruptions located in similar areas and having similar characteristics (i.e. Quizapu, Hudson and Chaitén volcanoes). This comparison shows that the regions downwind and very close to the erupting volcanoes suffered very similar problems, without a clear relation to the intensity of the eruption (e.g. health problems, damage to vegetation, death of animals, roof collapse, air traffic disruptions, road closure, lahars and flooding). This suggests that a detailed collection of impact data can be largely beneficial for the development of plans for the management of an eruptive crisis and the mitigation of associated risk of the Andean region.

Volcanic ash modeling with the NMMB-MONARCH-ASH model: quantification of off-line modeling errors

“…This alteration was due to the change in the 20 wind direction toward N-NE first and then again towards SE (e.g. Elissondo et al, 2016). As a consequence, these results suggest that off-line forecasts would miss the correct arrival time of volcanic ash to the main international airports in Buenos Aires (i.e.…”

Volcanic ash modeling with the online NMMB-MONARCH-ASH v1.0 model: model description, case simulation, and evaluation

“…The two major airports serving Buenos Aires and the international airport in Montevideo, Uruguay, were closed for several days, along with airports in Patagonia (Wilson et al, 2013). A detailed chronology of the eruption can be found in Collini et al (2013) and Elissondo et al (2016), the stratigraphy and characteristics of the resulting fallout deposit are described in Pistolesi et al (2015) and Bonadonna et al (2015b), and a summary of the environmental impacts of the eruption is discussed in Raga et al (2013) and Wilson et al (2013).…”

Brief communication: Extended chronology of the Cordón Caulle volcanic eruption beyond 2011 reveals toxic impacts

“…The 2011 eruption of PCC was also compared to the 1991 Hudson and the 2008 Chaitén eruptions (Elissondo et al, 2016). Although impacts from fluoride were not mentioned, deer dying 6 years after the Chaitén eruption still had bone fluoride levels of over 3000 ppm and osteopathological lesions compatible with fluorosis (Flueck et al, unpublished).…”

“…Recently, the 2011 eruption of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano (Chile, PCC) was reviewed by analyzing the chronology of this eruption and its impacts on the population, infrastructures, and the environment. Although in their review Elissondo et al (2016) described situations like the phenomena of the advancing lava front at a stage occurring in 2013, and cited literature published through 2015, the only mention of chemical impacts was based on two reports from 2011 which stated that, soon after the eruption, no toxicity was found in water and that drinking-water qualities were thus ascertained. Similarly, the description of the impact on animals was limited to the initial effect of tephra (reducing forage availability, eye irritation etc.)…”