In Chile there are many attractions and interesting places - these are deserts, lakes, glaciers, islands. The country is rich in national parks, monuments and exquisite architecture. But the volcano in Chile is a business card created by nature. Beauty during the eruption is mesmerizing, but it also brings a lot of destruction.
Volcano formation
On the surface of the earth's crust, on land and under water, there are geological formations - volcanoes. The volcanic eruption is accompanied by the ejection from the bowels of the earth to the surface of magma, the movement of which occurs along the faults of the earth's crust under the action of high pressure. On the surface, magma is converted to lava, volcanic stones, gases, pyroclastic flows. Lava can spill out of the cracks of the earth's crust, forming lava fields, or pour out through the crater of a volcano through a crater. Volcanoes are adjacent to active sites of lithospheric plates. In the oceans, these are deep-sea trenches, and on land, mountain systems.
One of the states on whose territory there are many volcanoes is Chile. It is located in South America. Ojos del Salado - a volcano in Chile, located at an altitude of 6769 meters above sea level, is considered the highest in the world.
Volcano in mythology
According to ancient Roman mythology, the Volcano is the god of the underground fire, the patron saint of blacksmiths and artisans. According to legend, his forge is located in the bowels of the land of Etna, and the cyclops giants help him. In Rome, he was assigned the cult of fire, erected temples outside the city, where the Senate held meetings. The ancient Romans called the name of the god Vulcan the mountains, from which fire erupted and destroyed everything in its path. In honor of the deity, holidays were held every year - volcanoes. The celebration was accompanied by sacrifices and games.
Chilean mythology has a spirit that, like the Roman god, brings misfortune, and the eruption of a volcano in Chile connect it with him. The spirit is called Pillan. He lives in the "house of spirits" - the volcano Villarrica.
Chilean volcanoes
The state of Chile has an elongated shape. Two mountain systems are located on its territory: the Andes in the east and the Cordillera in the west, elongated along the coastline. A Pacific “fire belt” is stretched across the country, which includes a chain of volcanoes and a system of tectonic faults, the length of which sometimes reaches up to 40 thousand km. The peculiarity of the mountain system is that a lot of active points are formed in it in the earth's crust. To the list of volcanoes, both extinct and operating, includes about 2900 items. Peaks above 5,000 meters above sea level are covered in snow. Mountain landscapes of Chile consist of an alternation of mountain systems and cones of volcanoes.
High seismic activity is a consequence of the geological structure. The volcanic eruption in Chile occurs very often, sometimes several times a year. The most active volcano in South America is Lyama.
Active volcanoes
Volcanic activity in Chile continues today. There are more than 40 active volcanoes, some of which are located near cities. The eruption is very spectacular, and many tourists come to see this action. In addition, the mountains have a picturesque landscape - snowy peaks and lakes.
In Chile, active volcanoes are natural attractions and hiking trails are laid out for them. You can climb to the crater - see the smoke rising from it and smell the emitted gases.
In Chile, there are about 270 thermal springs. Due to volcanic activity, most of the underground sources are of magmatic origin and the corresponding chemical composition.
Volcano Villarrica
The volcano is located in the Villarrica National Park, its height is 2847 meters, at the foot of the lake and the city of Pucon. The volcano repeatedly erupted, and his last awakening occurred on March 3, 2015.
The top of Villarrica is covered with glacier, and a column of smoke rises from its vent. This is the only volcano in Chile, at the bottom of the crater of which is a lake of basaltic lava. The sights include lava caves, their feature is that the walls of the caves are fragments of lava that once leaked to the surface.
The volcano has a lot of vegetation, it is inhabited by animals. Puma, South American deer, Chilean possum, nosy skunks, nutria, South American fox live here. From the vegetation below you can find notafagus, above grow forests of coniferous Chilean araucaria.
The volcano has a ski resort with slopes and lifts, so you can still go skiing and snowboarding here.
Pouyeue Volcano
Puyeue - an active volcano in Chile, it is located in the south of the country. Geographically, it belongs to the southeast of the Andes and is part of the Pouyeue-Cordon-Caulle chain. The height of the peak above sea level is 2236 meters.
It is believed that the volcano appeared 300 thousand years ago, its last activity was recorded in 1960, since then it has not been manifested. The last eruption of the volcano occurred on June 4, 2011. It all started with tremors. A crack appeared in the earth's crust, from which a column of ash began to rise. The ash escaping from the volcano covered the entire surface of Lake Nahuel Huapi, located in Argentina. The eruption of the volcano affected the development of flora and fauna, vegetation was preserved only at the foot.
Volcano Tupungato
The size and size of volcanic massifs are diverse. The largest of them is located in South America in the Main Cordelier of the Andes at the junction of the borders of the states of Chile and Argentina - this is the Tupungato mountain range. Volcano located 90 km from the city of Santiago - the capital of Chile. Its main peak has an absolute elevation of 6,800 meters above sea level. This is the height of an extinct volcano. The active volcano is located southeast, and its peak corresponds to an altitude of 5640 meters, has several craters in which activity is observed.
Volcano Parinacota
In the natural area of Lauca National Park in northern Chile is the volcano Parinacota. Its height is 6348 meters above sea level. The last time the activity of the volcano was manifested in 290 BC The volcano is considered dormant. Lava flows pouring out about 8000 years ago are visible on its slopes.