Stories tagged volcano eruption

Waking up: Chilean volcano thought to be dormant erupts for the first time in 9,000 years

by Thor on May. 05th, 2008

Ash and lightning: The phenomenon of volcanic activity triggering lightning was seen this week at the eruption of the Chaiten Volcano in Chile.
Courtesy guanoThe residents of the small coastal Chilean village of Chaiten got a huge suprise over the weekend: a long dormant volcano suddenly erupted, forcing 4,500 residents to suddenly evacuate the town in early winter conditions. Be sure to click through all the photos in the link's slide show. The views are spectacular. Here is a slide show from National Geographic. And here is a video report of the eruption. So far, one person has been found dead at the eruption site, but the volcano continues to spew ash into the sky. Because the volcano was thought to be dormant, it hasn't been monitored for underground activity like many other volcanoes across the globe.