This has been going on for more than 4 months now

Oct 12, 2011 07:49 GMT  ·  By
This EO-1 image shows the Puyehue Corón-Caulle Volcano still erupting after 4 months of activity
   This EO-1 image shows the Puyehue Corón-Caulle Volcano still erupting after 4 months of activity

The Puyehue Corón-Caulle Volcano – which is located in the Puyehue National Park, on the Chilean Andes Mountains – continues to erupt even after 4 months of activity. Recent satellite images even show new lava being produced, and sent rolling on mountain slopes.

The NASA Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this image of the eruption on October 9, as a massive plume of ash began rising over the caldera, spreading particulate matter all the way to Argentina. In all likelihood, the eruption will continue for some time.

Due to the influence of the volcano, the surrounding mountaintops are seen here without their customary snow caps, which is very unusual for this time of year. This is the first time no snow is visible on these peaks in several months.

To the left side of the image, the satellite imaged what appears to be a fresh plume of recently-solidified lava. The texture of the material indicates that it was produced a short time ago. Contributing to this belief is the fact that the new material has not yet been covered by ash.