Chaitén
Encyclopedia
Chaitén is a Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

an town, commune and former capital of the Palena Province
Palena Province
Palena Province is one of the four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Los Lagos . Due to the eruption of Chaitén Volcano and the subsequent destruction of Chaitén, Futaleufú is since March 2009 the new capital of Palena Province. The private Pumalín Park is located in the province as is...

 in Los Lagos Region
Los Lagos Region
Los Lagos Region is one of Chile's 15 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains the country's second largest island, Chiloé, and the second largest lake, Llanquihue.Its capital is Puerto Montt;...

. The town is located north of the mouth of Yelcho River
Yelcho River
-References:*...

, on the east coast of the Gulf of Corcovado
Gulf of Corcovado
Gulf of Corcovado is a large body of water separating the Chiloé Island from the mainland of Chile. Geologically it is a foreland basin that has been carved out by Quaternary glaciers. A large population of blue whales is found there, and it is under threat from salmon farming....

. The town is strategically located close to the northern end of the Carretera Austral
Carretera Austral
The Carretera Austral , formerly known as Carretera General Augusto Pinochet, is the name given to Chile's Route 7. The highway runs about from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins through rural Patagonia....

 where the highway goes inland.

Evacuation

The town was evacuated in May 2008 when the Chaitén volcano
Chaitén (volcano)
|290px|thumb|right|Image of the [[rhyolitic]] [[lava dome]] of Chaitén Volcano during its 2008-2010 eruption.Chaitén is a volcanic caldera in diameter, west of the elongated ice-capped Michinmahuida volcano and northeast of the town of Chaitén, near the Gulf of Corcovado in southern Chile. The...

 erupted for the first time in more than 9,000 years. The eruption, which commenced May 2, became more violent on May 5, throwing up a high plume of ash and sulfurous steam that rose to 19 miles (30.6 km), from which ashfall drifted across Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...

, and over the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

. During 2005 small earthquakes occurred below Chaiten and the nearby Liquiñe-Ofqui fault zone.

The town was completely flooded on May 12, 2008 after a lahar
Lahar
A lahar is a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. The term is a shortened version of "berlahar" which originated in the Javanese language of...

 caused the banks of the Blanco River to overflow about 200 m on each side. Over the subsequent weeks, the river excavated a new course through Chaitén, completely destroying a significant part of it by July 2008. (At the time of writing, this process is still ongoing; it is unclear how extensive the damage will ultimately be.) Some defensive work has been undertaken by the government, but they ultimately decided to abandon the town, relocating and compensating all residents. The provincial capital was provisionally moved to Futaleufú
Futaleufú, Chile
Futaleufú is a Chilean town and commune located in Palena Province, Los Lagos Region. The commune is named after Futaleufú River. Due to the eruption of Chaitén Volcano and the subsequent destruction of Chaitén, Futaleufú has been the capital of Palena Province since March 2009. The town is close...

 after the eruption breakout, but the capital shift was later on declared permanent. The future of the town has become a matter of political controversy in Chile.

Reconstruction of Chaitén

On February 25, 2009 the government announced plans to rebuild Chaitén 10 km north of its current location in a coastal place known as Santa Bárbara or "Fandango Norte." On March 3, 2009 construction work on the new town's administrative facilities started.

On April 9, 2011, president Sebastián Piñera
Sebastián Piñera
Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique is a Chilean businessman and politician. He was elected President of Chile in January 2010, taking office in March 2010.- Education :...

 announced a program to rebuilt the town on its existing northern area, reversing plans by the previous administration to move the town to a different location further north.

Nearby attractions

Nearby attractions include:
  • Corcovado National Park
    Corcovado National Park (Chile)
    Corcovado National Park is an preserved area of Valdivian temperate rainforest, high peaks, alpine lakes, and rivers in Chile's Los Lagos Region. This coastal park borders the same name to the west and includes the iconic volcanoes Corcovado and Yanteles...

    , which includes Corcovado
    Corcovado (volcano)
    Corcovado Volcano is a stratovolcano located about 25 km south of the mouth of Yelcho River, in the Palena Province, Los Lagos Region, Chile. The glacially eroded volcano is flanked by Holocene cinder cones. The most distinctive feature of this volcano is its stepped top, similar to that of...

     volcano.
  • Pumalín Park
    Pumalín Park
    Pumalín Park is a private nature reserve in the Palena Province of Chile, created by the United States environmental foundation The Conservation Land Trust, which is endowed and led by the American business magnate Douglas Tompkins...

    , which includes Michinmahuida
    Michinmahuida
    Michinmahuida is a glaciated stratovolcano located in Los Lagos Region of Chile. It lies about 15 km east of Chaitén volcano, and was extensively covered in ash during the 2008 eruption of Chaitén...

     volcano.
  • Yelcho Lake
    Yelcho Lake
    Yelcho Lake is a fjord-shaped lake located in the southern Los Lagos Region, in the Palena Province, Chile. Its outlet is a river of the same name, which flows north-west and empties into Gulf of Corcovado, near Chaitén. The lake is fed by the Futaleufú River. The Carretera Austral runs along its...

  • Carretera Austral
    Carretera Austral
    The Carretera Austral , formerly known as Carretera General Augusto Pinochet, is the name given to Chile's Route 7. The highway runs about from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins through rural Patagonia....

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