Southern Chile's Puyehue volcano is now calm after raining down ash and forcing thousands to flee on Saturday. Following the eruption, the government evacuated 3500 people to shelters in safe areas. The cloud, estimated to be 6 miles (10 km) high, darkened skies well into neighboring Argentina. Bariloche, a Patagonian resort town about 62 miles (100 km) east of the volcano, remained under a state of emergency because of the eruption, which covered the small city of 50,000 inhabitants with a thick blanket of soot.
Here's a look at dramatic eruption from the ground in both Chile and Argentina.
Policemen gather as smoke and ash rise from the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain near Osorno city in south-central Chile June 5, 2011. A volcano dormant for decades erupted in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain in south-central Chile on Saturday, belching an ash cloud more than 6 miles (10 km) high that blew over the Andes and carpeted a popular ski resort in neighboring Argentina.REUTERSMembers of the Argentine border police Gendarmeria prevent drivers crossing the border between Argentina and Chile as ashes released from Chile's Puyehue volcano at the Paso Cardenal Samore June 5, 2011. The volcano in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain, dormant for decades, erupted in south-central Chile on Saturday, belching ash over 6 miles (10 km) into the sky, as winds fanned it toward neighboring Argentina and prompted the government to evacuate several thousand residents, authorities said.REUTERSA woman and her child wear protective masks as they take cover from Chile's Puyehue volcanic ash in the Argentine resort city of San Carlos de Bariloche June 4, 2011.REUTERSA resident stays in front of his home as smoke and ash rise from the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain near Osorno city in south-central Chile June 5, 2011.REUTERSAsh from a volcano in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain, 100 miles (160 km) to the west, covers the Argentine resort city of San Carlos de Bariloche June 5, 2011.REUTERSA plume of ash, estimated 6 miles (10km) high and 3 mile wide is seen after a volcano erupted in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain, about 575 miles (920 km) south of the capital, Santiago June 5, 2011.REUTERSA resident waits outside a shelter after being evacuated from his home as smoke and ash rise from the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain near Osorno city in south-central Chile June 5, 2011.REUTERS
