| | |  | World tectonic activity map | |
Background
In many cases, volcanoes are a natural threat to the very life of the planet, as well as a source of disasters. They are, however, also a source of geomorphic land cover modelling.
Chile is located in the so-called ‘Ring of Fire’ of the Pacific, where the Villarrica, Llaima and Lonquimay volcanoes are located. This figure shows the world’s mountain ranges, subduction trenches, and tectonic plates, as well as their movements and mid-oceanic ridges.
| | | Location of the Araucanía Region |
The Araucanía Region is located 670 km south of Santiago, the capital of Chile. The regional capital of Araucanía is Temuco, with an area of 464 km ² and a population of 276.883 inhabitants, with 5.7% of the population living in rural areas (2002 statistics). The region is divided into 32 towns.
| | Digital elevation model (DEM) of the Araucanía Region | |
To see the region in more detail you can open the “Region Araucanía Google Earth.kmz” file from the right menu. (You need to have Google Earth installed on your computer).
The economic activities that take place in this region are mainly forestry, agriculture and tourism, with a special touristic emphasis on the beauty of the volcanoes and lakes.
| | | SPOT 4 vegetation image of the Araucanía Region |
The Villarrica, Llaima and Lonquimay volcanoes can be seen on the Landsat image below.
- the Villarrica Volcano is located only a few kilometres from the city of Pucón. It is 2,847 metres high, is always active, and has a crater of a diameter of 200 metres which has permanent vents . Furthermore, it is covered by an ice surface of 40 km2. The last eruptions occurred between January and April 2010.
- the Llaima Volcano is the largest volcano in the south of Chile and is 3,125 metres high. It is located in the National Conguillío Park and has a crater of a diameter of 350 metres. It is among the most active volcanoes, with a record of 50 historical eruptions. The last one occured in 2009.
- the Lonquimay Volcano is located about 130 km northeast of the city of Temuco. Its name means "great stream" in Mapudungun (the language of the local Mapuche). During its last eruption in 1988, a new eruption centre was formed and nicknamed the Christmas crater. They called it like this because the eruption started on 25 December, caused by a fissure in the ground.
| | Landsat TM sensor image | |
This image shows the High Zone of the Andes in the Araucanía region. Native forest is shown in red, grasslands in yellow, lakes in black, rocks and lava from volcanoes in blue, and snow in magenta.
The volcanic processes in this region created important lakes, such as the Villarrica, Caburgua Calafquén Huilipilún, Budi (the only saltwater lake in South America), Colico, Galletué, and Icalma. These lakes are part of a network which includes ethno-cultural activities that are very attractive to tourists.
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