Villarrica is one of Chile's most active volcanoes; eruptions have been recorded since the
conquest of Chile and the founding of the city of
Villarrica in 1552. This city was originally founded near the site of present-day
Pucón. Villarrica volcano had frequent
strombolian eruptions in the second half of the 16th century. The 1562 eruption in particular deposited thin ash layers as far as 200 km away from the volcano. However mining activity declined over time.
1963 and 1964 eruptions The volcano resumed eruptive activity on March 8, 1963. On March 12 a flank vent some 250 metres below the summit begun to pour lava that ended up making a and lava flow. At some point, the inhabitants of Coñaripe decided to return to their houses in search of shelter from the heavy rainfall. The hamlet of Chaillupén was also destroyed by the lahar, meaning 30 houses were destroyed; however, there were no deaths. Such views reflect the belief that nature was "allied with the Indians".
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.
2015 eruption On February 7, 2015, Villarrica triggered a yellow alert at both
Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería and
Onemi. 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 12:29 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. ==See also==