Puyehue-Cordón Caulle ash makes it to Buenos Aires and Paraguay

The eruption that started Saturday at Puyehue-Cordón Caulle along the Chilean-Argentine border is still going – and still causing problems for people living in the zone where ash and pumice (see below) is falling. The plume itself is spreading to the north and east of the volcano as you can see in an image posted on the NASA Earth Observatory In fact, cities as far afield as Buenos Aires are feeling the effects of the ash, with flight delays and diversions in and out of the major international airport in that city, along with some flights in and out of Paraguay.  The ash may even reach Brazil later in the week. These problems may not be short-lived as SERNAGEOMIN geologists say the eruption could last days to weeks. The mayor of Bariloche, one of the cities along the border most hit by the ash, has been telling residents that it is best to stay at home to avoid the ash hazard. The biggest issues for the residents will be keeping water supplies safe from the ash, although the winds are turning in favor of Bariloche for the time being. However, evacuations are continuing in areas near the volcano.

Pumice fall from Puyehue-Cordón Cauile 

It appears that the eruption is continuing to wane some (spanish) and SERNAGEOMIN director Enrique Valdivieso says lava flows (spanish) from Puyehue-Cordon Caulle shouldn’t be ruled out (although the real hazard is still the heavy ash fall). The number of earthquakes and amount of tremor at the volcano have been in decline as well, but they are still keeping the volcano at Red Level 6 (moderate eruption). The Atlantic posted probably one of the best galleries I’ve seen for the eruption so far, capturing both the ash plume and the heavy ash fall related to the volcano. Top left: The ash plume from Puyehue-Cordón Caulle spreading across South America on June 7, 2011.