After over 40 years of peace and quiet, the Calbuco volcano of Chile has come back to life in the most explosive of ways.
It only took 15 short minutes for this terrifying monster to reawaken, but in that short timeframe thousands of people took out their phones and recorded this amazing geological event with truly stunning images.
April 22, 2015 will be a memorable day in Chilean history, but alongside so many photos, it will be just as remembered by scientists all over the world who, thanks to the cameras on iPhones and Android devices, will have the chance to study this volcanic event from multiple angles.
With so many photos being uploaded to social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, Imgur, and Reddit, these volcanologists will undoubtedly be able to study this incredible phenomenon in new and fascinating ways.
Along with some amazing footage from this world, the video in the last slide is allegedly a possible alien UFO encounter! What do you think? Does it look like an alien flying into the volcano to you?
Below are some of the most beautiful images and videos we've come across. Let us know what you think of this incredible world event! Just in time for Earth Day 2015!
What do you think about nature's power? Is it beautiful, horrifying, or a bit of both? Let us know!
And please SHARE these beautiful images with your friends and family!
The last time Chile's Calbuco volcano erupted was in 1972.
Calbuco has had at least 10 eruptions since 1837.
The volcano had been quiet for the past 42 years before blowing up twice in just a few hours.
Flash and ash! Volcanic lightning only occurs with the biggest explosions, positively charged ejections fly skyward. Lightning bolts are nature's way of balancing out the charge distributions.
This view from space shows how widespread the ash cloud has become.
Covering wide swaths of land in a layer of ash all over the Chilean countryside.
With just 15 minutes of warning beforehand, over 4,000 residents of the nearby town of Puerto Montt rushed to evacuate before the devastating blast.
Amazingly, no one was reported injured.
Chile has 90 active volcanoes, but Calbuco is considered one of the nation’s most dangerous.
One of the largest eruptions on record took place from Calbuco back in 1893. Violent explosions sent foot-long bombs hurtling over five miles from the epicenter.
Several days of darkness occurred in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina due to the ash cloud.
Scientists can't even determine how much longer the volcano will continue to erupt, but some estimates range into months more of this...
With smoke plumes and ash rising more than six miles into the sky, Calbuco is certainly a terrifying reminder that, for as much as we know, Earth is still the one in control.
These villages had their days change from absolutely normal to explosively memorable in less than 15 minutes.
Fortunately, this huge volcano isn't near any major population centers.
Hopefully this volcanic burst won't result in any death, like the famous Mt. Vesuvius, which left 18,000 dead.
Or the 1784 eruption of Laki, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 6 million people.
No matter what, though, there's nothing we can do to stop it from erupting. Only time will tell!
This sleeping giant has been awakened!
Watch the UFO video below! What do you think it is?
Please SHARE this video with your friends! Is it a UFO flying around the volcano?
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