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News > Chile

Geologists Discover A New Active Volcano In Chile

  • Gran Mate Volcano, Patagonia region, Chile, April 6, 2021.

    Gran Mate Volcano, Patagonia region, Chile, April 6, 2021. | Photo: Twitter/ @prensacom

Published 7 April 2021
Opinion

"Gran Mate" is a geological hazard because the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault is expected to rupture in the coming years and it could cause high-magnitude earthquakes.

Geologists from the University of Chile discovered a new active volcano in the Chilean Patagonia named "Gran Mate" because its peak looks like a vessel to drink the mate leaves infusion.

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The volcano, which is active because it is under 5,000 years old, "was named in honor of the South American culture," geologist Gregory De Pascale explained.

The scientists made this discovery while studying the Liquiñe-Ofqui geological fault, an area of high seismological activity.

"During a helicopter flight, we could see the difference in color between basaltic rock, which is produced in an eruptive event, and granite rock, which forms inside the earth," De Pascale said

The new volcano is located in the middle of the fault, at 80 km from Coyhaique city and 1,600 km south of Santiago.

Gran Mate is a geological hazard because the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault is expected to rupture in the coming years and it could cause high-magnitude earthquakes.

"We will regularly monitor both the volcano and the fault because we can't predict when earthquakes will occur," De Pascale warned.

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