Villarrica ( ) ( es, Volcán Villarrica, arn, Ruka Pillañ) is one of

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 eas ...

's most active

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...

es, rising above the

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much lar ...

and

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

of the same name, south of

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, who ...

. It is also known as Rucapillán, a

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who s ...

word meaning "

great spirit The Great Spirit is the concept of a life force, a Supreme Being or god known more specifically as Wakan Tanka in Lakota,Ostler, Jeffry. ''The Plains Sioux and U.S. Colonialism from Lewis and Clark to Wounded Knee''. Cambridge University Pres ...

's house" or " the demon's house". It is the westernmost of three large

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and p ...

es that trend northwest to southeast obliquely perpendicular to the

Andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...

chain along the Mocha-Villarrica Fault Zone, and along with Quetrupillán and the Chilean portion of Lanín, are protected within

Villarrica National Park Villarrica National Park is located in the Andes, in the La Araucanía and Los Ríos regions of Chile, near Pucón. The centerpiece of the park is a line of three volcanoes stretching transversely to the Andean range: Villarrica, Quetrupillá ...

. Guided ascents are popular during summer months. Villarrica, with its

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock ( magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or ...

basaltic Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% ...

- andesitic composition, is one of a small number worldwide known to have an active (but in this case intermittent) lava lake within its crater. The volcano usually generates strombolian eruptions with ejection of incandescent pyroclasts and lava flows. Rainfall plus melted snow and

glacier ice Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaqu ...

can cause massive lahars (mud and debris flows), such as during the eruptions of 1964 and 1971. Villarrica is one of 9 volcanoes currently monitored by the Deep Earth Carbon Degassing Project. The project is collecting data on the

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is t ...

and sulphur dioxide emission rates from subaerial volcanoes.

Geography and geology

Villarica stands just east of the Chilean Central Valley as the westernmost of an alignment of three large

es. The alignment is attributed to the existence of an old fracture in the crust, the North West-South East trending Mocha-Villarrica Fault Zone, the other volcanoes in the chain, Quetrupillán and Lanín, are far less active. The alignment is unusual as it crosses the N-S running Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault, along which several active volcanoes are aligned.Volcán Villarrica

OVDAS The Southern Andean Volcano Observatory (Spanish: ''Observatorio Volcanológico de los Andes del Sur''), also known by its acronyms as OVDAS, is part of ''Red Nacional de Vigilancia Volcánica'', a program of the Chilean National Geology and Minin ...

Villarrica covers an area of 400 km² and has an estimated volume of 250 km³. It contains volcanic caves and about 26 scoria cones. The constant degassing at the lava lake turns the otherwise quite effusive lava more viscous, heightening its explosive potential. Two large

ignimbrite Ignimbrite is a type of volcanic rock, consisting of hardened tuff. Ignimbrites form from the deposits of pyroclastic flows, which are a hot suspension of particles and gases flowing rapidly from a volcano, driven by being denser than the surro ...

layers are visible; the Licán Ignimbrite and the more recent Pucón Ignimbrite. Villarrica emerged during the

Middle Pleistocene The Chibanian, widely known by its previous designation of Middle Pleistocene, is an Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale or a Stage (stratigraphy), stage in chronostratigraphy, being a division of the Pleistocene Epoch withi ...

and grew forming a large stratocone of similar dimensions to the current edifice. 100,000 years ago during the Valdivia Interglacial the ancestral Villarrica collapsed following an eruption and formed a large elliptical

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber ...

of 6.5 and 4.2 km in diameter. During the Llanquihue glaciation Villarrica produced pyroclastic flow deposits, subglacial

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomina ...

lavas and

dacite Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained ( aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhy ...

dykes. It collapsed once again 13,700 years ago forming a new smaller caldera, among other pyroclastic flows the Licán Ignimbrite has been related to this event. Beginning with the Licán Ignimbrite, generated just after the last deglaciation, activity continued in similar fashion. The Pucón Ignimbrite was ejected during a minor collapse of the uppermost stratocone 3,700 years ago.

Glaciers

The upper part of Villarrica is permanently covered by snow and has some 40 km² of

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

s, the largest of which is the Pichillancahue-Turbio Glacier situated on its southeastern flank. Ash from the eruptions can increase the

ablation Ablation ( la, ablatio – removal) is removal or destruction of something from an object by vaporization, chipping, erosive processes or by other means. Examples of ablative materials are described below, and include spacecraft material for a ...

of snow and ice by absorption of

solar radiation Solar irradiance is the power per unit area ( surface power density) received from the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the measuring instrument. Solar irradiance is measured in watts per square metre ...

. Some ash coverings are thicker than 5 cm and insulate the glacier, decreasing ablation instead of enhancing it. Between 1961 and 2003, Villarrica lost 25% of its glaciated surface and the glaciers shrank at an average rate of -0.4 km² each year.

Tourism

Villarrica is popular for climbing with guided hikes to the crater from the town of Pucón, but these may be suspended due to cloud or volcanic activity. Helicopter over-flights have been available since 2007. In the winter (July–September) a ski resort operates on the northern slopes. The youngest person to reach the summit recognized by the Chilean government was Christopher Heussner of Texas at the age of 9 in 1999.

Eruptive history

Villarrica is one of Chile's most active volcanoes; eruptions have been recorded since the

conquest of Chile The Conquest of Chile is a period in Chilean historiography that starts with the arrival of Pedro de Valdivia to Chile in 1541 and ends with the death of Martín García Óñez de Loyola in the Battle of Curalaba in 1598, and the destruction of ...

and the founding of the city of Villarrica in 1552. This city was originally founded near the site of present-day Pucón.Petit-Breuilh 2004, p. 49. Villarrica volcano had frequent strombolian eruptions in the second half of the 16th century. Peaks of activity occurred in 1558 and 1562.Petit-Breuilh 2004, p. 77. The 1562 eruption in particular deposited thin ash layers as far as 200 km away from the volcano. During its early years the city of Villarrica was an important gold and silver mining centre. However mining activity declined over time. It is thought that this decline could be a consequence of burial of gold placers beneath lahars associated with mid-16th century eruptions of Villarrica. This burial would have prompted settlers to move the city westward to its modern site, a place less prone to volcanic hazards. There are uncertainties in the eruptive record in the first half of the 17th century due to the

and Huilliche uprising which led to the surrender or abandonment of Spanish settlements during the

destruction of the Seven Cities The Destruction of the Seven Cities ( es, Destrucción de las siete ciudades) is a term used in Chilean historiography to refer to the destruction or abandonment of seven major Spanish outposts in southern Chile around 1600, caused by the Mapuc ...

1963 and 1964 eruptions

The volcano resumed eruptive activity on March 8, 1963.Petit-Breuilh 2004, p. 230. On March 12 a flank vent some 250 metres below the summit begun to pour lava that ended up making a 1000 m long and 150-meter broad lava flow. The lava flow had stopped by March 19. Concurrently with this the summit crater continued its strombolian eruption. Explosive eruptions begun once again on May 2, 1963, and the eruption had definitely turned effusive by May 21. The last consequences of this cycle of eruptions were lahars that flowed down the volcano on May 24. In the two last weeks of February 1964, Villarrica produced small, violent lava effusions and tremors. On 2 March, at 2:45 am, it began a strombolian eruption, and residents of

Coñaripe Coñaripe is a Chilean town and resort area, located on the shore of Calafquén Lake. Administratively it belongs to Panguipulli commune in Valdivia Province of Los Ríos Region. The town is placed at its current position since the older settlemen ...

, a wood-logging town, fled to the surrounding hills.Petit-Breuilh 2004, p. 231. At some point, the inhabitants of Coñaripe decided to return to their houses in search of shelter from the heavy rainfall. At midnight a new lava flow advanced downhill melting snow and ice triggering five lahars. Melting snow and ice from the Pichillancahue-Turbio Glacier combined with heavy rainfall to produce several lahars. This situation caught Coñaripe residents unprepared when one of the lahars overwhelmed the town killing 27 residents.Petit-Breuilh 2004, p. 232. The hamlet of Chaillupén was also destroyed by the lahar meaning 30 houses were destroyed, however, there were no deaths. Other lahars that flowed north destroyed various bridges between Villarrica and Pucón before entering Villarrica Lake. The sudden inflow of lahars into Villarrica Lake caused the water level to rise, flooding some low-lying pastures. Some

s blamed settlers for the disaster claiming they had provoked it by cursing the town of Coñaripe.Petit-Breuilh 2004, p. 233. Such views reflect the belief that nature was "allied with the Indians".Petit-Breuilh 2004, p. 234.

1971–1972 eruption

On 29 October 1971, at 3:00 am, there were several explosions in the crater and a column of white and then black smoke appeared. One month later, at quarter to midnight on 29 November, Villarrica began a new eruptive cycle. Pyroclasts were ejected and the snow surrounding the crater melted. After a brief halt in activity lava poured from a new vent on the north-east side, melting considerable amounts of water and causing lahars. These lahars affected Pichaye, El Turbio, Collentañe, Minetué, Molco, Voipir and Curarrehue, all of them in the Trancura River basin. Toxic sulphurous gases made the air unbreathable in Villarrica and Pucón where at least 15 deaths were reported.La erupción de 1971
Villarrica Volcano Visual Observation Project. 2008.

2015 eruption

On February 7, 2015, Villarrica triggered a yellow alert at both Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería and

Onemi ONEMI or National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry ( es, Oficina Nacional de Emergencia del Ministerio del Interior) is a Chilean government agency dedicated to the prevention, organization, coordination and information relative to na ...

. Minor explosions and low emissions of ashes were visible. Ten days later, another eruption occurred. The National Service of Geology and Mining (Sernageomin) declared a yellow alert after volcanic and seismic activity increased again, while the National Emergency Office of the Interior Ministry (ONEMI) kept the yellow alert. At approximately 03:01 AM on March 3, 2015, it erupted, raising the alert to red up to 10 kilometers around. The eruption exceeded the height of the volcano, causing a loud explosion that woke the neighbors, and forcing the evacuation of 3,385 people in nearby communities. The Southern Andean Volcano Observatory (OVDAS) indicated that a new imminent eruption would continue until 12:30 of March 19, 2015. As of July 2015, the eruption was continuing. Volcanic gas emissions from this volcano are measured by a Multi-Component Gas Analyzer System, which detects pre-eruptive degassing of rising magmas, improving prediction of volcanic activity. Analysis of seismicity prior to the eruption show that there was no seismicity that could be reliably related to the upcoming eruption. However, a series of small earthquakes with hypocenters about 9 km beneath Villarrica volcano that occurred 45 days after the eruption are thought to have been caused by the cooling of the eruption's feeder dykes.

Gallery

File:Villarrica, Lago Villarrica 2019 05.jpg, Villarrica Lake and the eponymous volcano Image:Volcan Villarrica, Southern Chile.jpg, Satellite image of Villarrica Image:Wonderful day at the Villarrica.jpg, Villarrica File:Climbing the Villarrica.jpg, Climbing Villarrica File:Pucon-y-su-Volcan.jpg, A view from Pucón

References

Sources

* *

External links

Satellite photo of Villarrica Volcano

Top of the volcano ...

Villarrica Volcano Visual Observation Project

"Volcán Villarrica, Chile" on Peakbagger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villarrica (Volcano) Active volcanoes Stratovolcanoes of Chile Mountains of Chile Ski areas and resorts in Chile Volcanoes of Los Ríos Region Volcanoes of Araucanía Region South Volcanic Zone Mountains of Los Ríos Region Villarrica National Park Pleistocene stratovolcanoes Holocene stratovolcanoes