Eruption of Puyehue-Cordón Caulle

Eruption of Puyehue-Cordón Caulle

After awakening on June 4, 2011, the eruption at the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex continued through at least June 6th. Located in Chile, just west of the border with Argentina, Puyehue-Cordón Caulle emitted a plume of light-colored ash that stretched along the edge of the Andes. Hours earlier the prevailing winds had shifted, forming the prominent kink visible in the plume.

This natural-color satellite image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard Terra on the morning of June 6, 2011. At the time the Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) reported that the ash plume reached an altitude of 40,000 feet (12,000 meters).

NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC.