SANTIAGO ( Associated Press) — The Lascar volcano in northern Chile was upgraded from a yellow alert to an orange alert because of record activity and a security perimeter was extended to a 10-kilometer radius, officials announced Saturday.
On Friday night, monitoring stations “recorded an increase in seismicity, which was mainly linked to fluid dynamics within the volcanic system,” said Álvaro Emigo, national deputy director of Geology and Mining (Cernejomin).
The service specializing in the monitoring of volcanoes also indicated that around the volcano possible explosive pulses are expected with columns more than 5 kilometers in height, the launch of ballistic blocks and the dispersal of ash. Orange Alert is just below Red Alert, which means there is a risk of eruption.
However, after a meeting to study the situation, the authorities increased the security perimeter of the volcano from 5 km to 10 km.
Lascar Volcano is located in the northern region of Antofagasta, about 70 kilometers from the tourist city of San Pedro de Atacama, where thousands of travelers come every year to see its desert landscape and clear sky where the stars can be seen very clearly. can go. , It is located 1,600 kilometers north of Santiago.
At present, another volcano in the country, Villarrica in the south, is on Yellow Alert.
Chile has one of the most important volcanic chains on Earth and has over 2,000 volcanoes in its region, 90 of which are potentially dangerous. Sernageomin continuously monitors 45 of them.
