14 DAY TRIAL // Recent space images obtained with the help of NASA's Landsat 8 and Earth Observing-1 satellites show how a massive eruption that occurred earlier this month transformed landscapes on Villarica, one of Chile's most active volcanoes.
The images, available in the gallery below, were taken just a few days apart, on February 22 and March 5, respectively. The first shows the Villarica volcano before the eruption. At that time, its slopes were covered in snow and perfectly white.
Come March 5, the mountain’s eastern side was blanketed in volcanic material and a dark gray. The volcanic material visible in this second image, comprising rocks of various sizes and ash, is known to the scientific community as tephra.
Also included in the gallery are photos taken by geophysicist Jeffrey Johnson, who lives merely 17 kilometers (11 miles) away from the volcano and who, together with his students, had the chance to document the event from ground level.
Both photos provided by geophysicist Jeffrey Johnson were obtained in early March. The first shows Villarica's slopes while still unsullied. The volcanic material released during the eruption is clearly visible in the second picture.
The volcanic eruption was quite a sight
It is understood that Chile's Villarica volcano started showing signs of unrest back in February. Thus, researchers monitoring it documented a rise in seismicity, a series of powerful explosions and even crater incandescence, i.e. lava glows.
In the early hours of March 3, the Villarica volcano stopped teasing and erupted. Following this event, authorities in the area evacuated thousands of people living within a 10-kilometer (6-mile) radius.
During the eruption, the volcano sent thick columns of ash at a height of up to 1 kilometer (0.6 miles), sometimes even more. At times, the ash towering over the region forced authorities to cancel flights to and from local international airports.
Some feared that the hot volcanic material emerging from the ground would melt the snow resting on Villarica's slopes and trigger landslides. However, no incidents of this kind have so far been reported.
Presently, what specialists are concerned about is that local winds could carry the ash clouds still hovering over the mountain across populated areas in the volcano's proximity, maybe even to remote parts of neighboring Argentina.
