Planchón-Peteroa is a

complex volcano A complex volcano, also called a compound volcano or a volcanic complex, is a mixed landform consisting of related volcanic centers and their associated lava flows and pyroclastic rock. They may form due to changes in eruptive habit or in t ...

extending in a north–south direction along the border between

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. It consists of volcanoes of various ages with several overlapping calderas. Those include Volcán Planchón, Volcán Peteroa and Volcán Azufre. A partial collapse of the complex about 11,500 years ago produced a major debris avalanche, which followed the course of the

Teno River The Teno River is a river located in the Maule Region of central Chile. It begins at the confluence of the ''Malo'' and '' Nacimiento'' rivers. The former originates north of Planchón volcano at Lagunas de Teno. The river flows initially nor ...

until reaching the Chile Central Valley. Peteroa has a

crater lake Crater Lake ( Klamath: ''Giiwas'') is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fill ...

. Lagunas de Teno lies at the foot of Planchón volcano. In this area also is the Vergara International Pass.

September 6, 2010 eruption

Planchón-Peteroa Volcano erupted on September 6, followed by a stronger eruption on September 18. On September 21, the volcano erupted once again, emitting a dark gray plume of

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to refer ...

. As winds blew the ash southeast into Argentina, residents there were warned by authorities to evacuate the nearby areas before Planchón-Peteroa would erupt again.

References

Mountains of Mendoza Province Mountains of Maule Region Complex volcanoes Active volcanoes Volcanic crater lakes Calderas of Argentina Calderas of Chile Volcanoes of Maule Region Volcanoes of Mendoza Province Polygenetic volcanoes Argentina–Chile border International mountains of South America {{SouthAm-mountain-stub

September 6, 2010 eruption

See also

References