CHILE · VOLCANO
Two explosions at Nevados de Chillán, a volcanic complex in Chile’s Ñuble Region, on Tuesday 10 November 2026 sent columns of gas and volcanic fragments up to 2,400 metres above the active crater, according to a report by Sernageomin, Chile’s national geology and mining service, as published by La Tercera, a Chilean newspaper, on 11 November. Sernageomin kept the volcano at Estado de Actividad Volcánica level 3 (EAV 3), which means a minor eruption, and warned that more explosions could follow.
Sernageomin recorded the pulse from 6:54 p.m. Chile time, together with long-period earthquakes, a type of volcanic tremor signal. The two columns reached 2,340 and 2,400 metres, and activity was continuing at lower heights when the report was issued.
Key Facts
- What Two explosions at Nevados de Chillán sent gas and rock fragments up to 2,400 metres above the crater.
- When Tuesday 10 November 2026, recorded from 6:54 p.m.
- Alert Sernageomin keeps the volcano at level 3 of its 0 to 5 scale (EAV 3), a minor eruption.
- Next Sernageomin says more explosions of similar or greater energy cannot be ruled out.
- Power Index Chile ranks 3rd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 62.9 points (November 2026 edition).
What Sernageomin Reported
Sernageomin said further episodes of similar or greater energy cannot be ruled out. It described them as low to moderate explosions that could affect the immediate surroundings of the active craters.
The volcano sits in the Ñuble Region of central-southern Chile, and the report as published does not mention evacuations. Pulses have recurred since September, including a column of about 900 metres on 27 September.
What Is Not Known
These figures rest on a single published account of the Sernageomin report, so they are reported, not independently confirmed. Whether ash is falling on nearby towns, and whether the alert level will rise, is not known.
Readers near the volcano should follow Sernageomin and Senapred, Chile’s disaster-management agency, for official updates. Senapred sets the territorial alerts for nearby communities.
More: Chile news in English, every day from The Rio Times. See also: Colombia’s Puracé volcano on orange alert.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high did the Nevados de Chillán explosions reach?
Sernageomin reported two columns of gas and rock fragments, at 2,340 and 2,400 metres above the active crater, on the evening of 10 November. The report says activity continued at lower heights afterwards.
What does EAV 3 mean at Chillán?
EAV stands for Estado de Actividad Volcánica, a scale from 0 to 5 that Sernageomin has used since 28 October in place of its colour technical alerts. Level 3 means a minor eruption, and the volcano stayed there after the explosions.
Sources: Sernageomin (Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería), report on the 10 November explosions at Nevados de Chillán, as relayed by La Tercera, 11 November 2026. Photos via Wikimedia Commons: cover by Dropus (CC BY-SA 4.0), inline by José Joaquín Cortes (CC BY-SA 4.0).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error