There are many sights and interesting places in Chile - these are deserts, lakes, glaciers, islands. The country is rich in national parks, monuments and exquisite architecture. But a volcano in Chile is a visiting card created by nature. The beauty during the eruption is mesmerizing, but it also brings a lot of destruction.
Formation of volcanoes
On the surface of the earth's crust, on land and under water, there are geological formations - volcanoes. The eruption of a volcano is accompanied by the release of magma from the bowels of the earth to the surface, the movement of which occurs along the faults of the earth's crust under the influence of high pressure. On the surface, magma transforms into lava, volcanic rocks, gases, pyroclastic flows. Lava can pour out of cracks in the earth's crust, forming lava fields, or pour out through a crater through a volcano. Volcanoes are adjacent to active areas of lithospheric plates. In the oceans, these are deep-sea trenches, and on land, they are mountain systems.
One of the states on whose territory there are many volcanoes is Chile. It is located in South America. Ojos del Salado -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, Vulcan is the god of underground fire, the patron of blacksmiths and artisans. According to legend, his forge is located in the depths of the land of Etna, and the giants-cyclopes help him. In Rome, he was assigned a cult of fire, erected temples outside the city, where the senate held meetings. In the name of the god Vulcan, the ancient Romans called the mountains from which fire erupted and destroyed everything in its path. In honor of the deity, holidays were held every year - vulcania. The celebration was accompanied by sacrifices and games.
In Chilean mythology there is a spirit that, like the Roman god, brings misfortune, and the volcanic eruption in Chile is associated with it. The spirit is called by the name Pillan. He lives in the "house of spirits" - the Villarrica volcano.
Chile volcanoes
The state of Chile has an elongated shape. On its territory there are two mountain systems: the Andes in the east and the Cordillera in the west, stretched along the coastline. The Pacific “belt of fire” stretches 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 it has a lot of active points in the earth's crust. The list of volcanoes, both extinct and active, includes approximately 2900 names. Peaks above 5000 meters above sea level are covered with snow. The mountain landscapes of Chile consist of alternation of mountain systems and cones of volcanoes.
High seismic activity is a consequence of the geological structure. A volcanic eruption in Chile occurs very often, sometimes several times a year. The most active volcano in South America is Liaima.
Active volcanoes
Volcanic activity in Chile continues today. There are more than 40 active volcanoes, some of them 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 tourist routes have been laid to them. You can climb up to the crater - see the smoke rising from it and smell the gases emitted.
There are about 270 thermal springs in Chile. Due to volcanic activity, most of the underground sources are of igneous origin and the corresponding chemical composition.
Villarrica Volcano
The volcano is located in the Villarrica National Park, its height is 2847 meters, at the foot is the lake and the city of Pucon. The volcano has erupted multiple times and last erupted on March 3, 2015.
The top of Villarrica is covered with a glacier, and a column of smoke constantly rises from its mouth. It is the only volcano in Chile with a bas altic lava lake at the bottom of its crater. Attractions include lava caves, theirthe peculiarity is that the walls of the caves are fragments of lava that once flowed out to the surface.
There is a lot of vegetation on the volcano, it is inhabited by animals. Puma, South American deer, Chilean opossum, nosy skunks, nutria, South American fox live here. From the vegetation below, you can find notafaguses, above, forests of coniferous Chilean araucaria grow.
There is a ski resort on the volcano with slopes and lifts, so you can still go skiing and snowboarding here.
Puyehue Volcano
Puyehue is an active volcano in Chile, located in the south of the country. Geographically, it belongs to the southeast of the Andes and is part of the Puyehue-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 manifested itself. The last volcanic eruption occurred on June 4, 2011. It all started with earth tremors. A crack appeared in the earth's crust, from which a column of ash began to rise. Ashes erupted from the volcano covered the entire surface of Lake Nahuel Huapi, located in Argentina. The volcanic eruption affected the development of flora and fauna, vegetation was preserved only at the foot.
Tupungato Volcano
The size and dimensions of volcanic massifs are varied. 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. The volcano is located 90 km fromthe city of Santiago, the capital of Chile. Its main peak has an absolute mark of 6800 meters above sea level. This is the height of an extinct volcano. The active volcano is located to the southeast, and its peak corresponds to an altitude of 5640 meters, has several craters in which activity is observed.
Volcano Parinacota
On the territory of the natural 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. Its slopes show lava flows that erupted approximately 8,000 years ago.
