© AFP, Martin Bernetti
A cloud of ash billows from the Puyehue volcano
Chilean experts warned Wednesday that a "cork" of lava could lead to another explosion at the Puyehue volcano, which has caused major flight disruptions from Argentina to Australia.
Seismic activity has declined, with two tremors of a magnitude of around 2.5 recorded every hour on Tuesday, compared with several hundred of a magnitude of four or five in the hours preceding the initial June 4 eruption.
But Chile's National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN), which monitors volcanic activity, said the volcano had to be kept on red alert because of the possibility of another explosion.
Geologists said a "cork" of lava, which emerged on Tuesday and was blocking even more lava from spewing forth, had the potential to create a huge build-up in pressure.
If this continues, "an explosive event remains possible because the path the lava is taking is obstructed, or because the eruption dynamic has changed," said SERNAGEOMIN director Enrique Valdivieso.
Comment: The idea of solar activity leading to earthquakes as set forth by Mitch Battros is not crazy. In fact, we've noted similar ideas here on SOTT:
Cyclones, Earthquakes, Volcanoes And Other Electrical Phenomena