Film Director Videos Volcano Erupting Before His Eyes

One South American film-director-in-training got doubly lucky. Not only did he get a close-up of a volcanic eruption, he survived to post the video on YouTube.

Gonzalo Llamas Sebesta, who works for an Argentinean production company, was on vacation at Chile’s Nevados de Chillán ski resort in the Andes mountains on Aug. 8.

As he rode a chairlift to the mountain’s summit he saw an amazing scene unfolding before him: A volcano was erupting just past the crest of the peak.

Sebesta pulled out his cell phone and captured the plume of dust and ash, which rose to 5,000 feet, Euronews reported.

Viral Volcano

Sebasta quickly posted his video on Instagram and YouTube.

At the same time, while Sebasta was uploading his video, Chile’s national emergency agency, ONEMI, posted a Yellow Alert—the second most serious alert level—for people living near the Nevados de Chillán volcano.

The Nevados de Chillán volcano in Chile (Wikimedia Commons)

Nevados de Chillán volcano is one of Chile’s most active volcanoes. It is part of a string of four volcanic peaks. The main peak, Volcán Nevado, rises 10,538 feet above sea level. Situated to the southeast are Volcán Nuevo (New Volcano) which formed between 1906 and 1945.

Further southeast is the Volcán Arrau dome, which pushed upward between 1973 and 1986.

Anchoring the line at the southeast in is the 10,134-foot-tall Volcán Viejo (Old Volcano,) the shortest and oldest of the three new cones, it was active between the 17th and the 19th centuries, according to Volcano Discovery.

Nevados de Chillán’s last major eruption was in 2009.

From NTD.tv