14 DAY TRIAL // Chile's Copahue volcano is now threatening to erupt. Wishing to avoid any casualties, authorities have issued a red alert and have evacuated about 2,240 people living closer than 15 miles (24.14 kilometers) to the volcano.
The people have been relocated to shelters operated by either public agencies or the army.
Information made available to the public says that, over these past few days, the volcano has been growing restless, meaning that several temblors have been reported.
“The intensity and type of seismicity observed in recent days, in conjunction with the deformation of the volcanic building, suggest, with a high probability, that the rise of a magmatic body in the shallow layers of the volcano has entered a process of no return,” reads a statement issued by the National Service of Geology and Mining of Chile.
It appears that an average of 356 small-scale earthquakes per hour have recently been recorded in the area.
Still, there are no signs of volcanic tremor and satellites have not detected any ash plumes.
Authorities in both Chile and Argentina explain that, although it is yet to be certain that the Copahue volcano will erupt in the days to come, their duty is to protect the population.
Hence their decision to evacuate these people. “This evacuation is obligatory; it's not voluntary,” stated Chile's current Interior and Security Minister, Andres Chadwick.
“This does not mean that the volcano will erupt, but it is essential red alert, [meaning we must] carry out the evacuation. Our main duty is to protect the population,” Andres Chadwick added. International Business Times reports that this particular volcano behaved in a similar manner back in December 2012. At that time, the volcano released both ash and lava onto its surroundings.
Specialists warn that, should the volcano eventually erupt, it might be weeks before it quits spewing lava and ashes.
The Copahue volcano measures 9,833 feet (2,997.1 meters) in height and is located on the border between Chile and Argentina.