Chaitén | |
|---|---|
 The town of Chaitén in 2007 | |
 Coat of arms  Location of Chaitén commune in Los Lagos Region   Chaitén Location in Chile | |
| Coordinates (city):42°55′0″S72°42′0″W / 42.91667°S 72.70000°W /-42.91667; -72.70000 | |
| Country | Chile |
| Region | Los Lagos |
| Province | Palena |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Evacuated | May 2008 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Alcalde | Pedro Vásquez Celedón (ILE) |
| Area | |
| 8,470.5 km2 (3,270.5 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Population (2012 census) | |
| 3,347 | |
| • Density | 0.3951/km2 (1.023/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 4,065 |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (CLT[1]) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (CLST[2]) |
| Area code | country 56 +city = 65 |
| Climate | Cfb |
| Website | www |
Chaitén (/tʃaɪˈtɛn/,chy-TEN) is aChileantown,commune and former capital of thePalena Province inLos Lagos Region. The town is north of the mouth ofYelcho River, on the east coast of theGulf of Corcovado. The town is strategically close to the northern end of theCarretera Austral, where the highway goes inland. TheDesertores Islands are part of the commune.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4,718 | — |
| 1982 | 7,016 | +3.36% |
| 1992 | 7,256 | +0.34% |
| 2002 | 7,182 | −0.10% |
| 2017 | 5,071 | −2.29% |
| 2024 | 4,025 | −3.25% |
| Source:"Censo de Población y Vivienda". National Statistics Institute. | ||
The town was evacuated in May 2008 when theChaitén volcano erupted for the first time in more than 9,000 years.[3][4] The eruption, which commenced May 2, became more violent on May 5,[5] throwing up a high plume of ash and sulfurous steam that rose to 19 miles (31 km), from which ashfall drifted acrossPatagonia and over theAtlantic Ocean.[6] During 2005 small earthquakes occurred below Chaitén and the nearbyLiquiñe-Ofqui Fault Zone.[7]
The town was completely flooded on May 12, 2008, after alahar caused the banks of the Blanco River to overflow about 200 m (660 ft) on each side.[8] Over the subsequent weeks, the river excavated a new course through Chaitén, completely destroying a significant part of it by July 2008. 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.[9] The provincial capital was provisionally moved toFutaleufú 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.
On February 25, 2009, the government announced plans to rebuild Chaitén 10 km (6.2 mi) north of its current location in a coastal place known as Santa Bárbara or "Fandango Norte".[10] On March 3, 2009, construction work on the new town's administrative facilities started.[11]
On April 9, 2011, presidentSebastián Piñera announced a program to rebuild the town on its existing northern area, reversing plans by the previous administration to move the town to a different location farther north.[12]
| Climate data for Chaitén | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 29.0 (84.2) | 31.4 (88.5) | 27.6 (81.7) | 23.2 (73.8) | 22.0 (71.6) | 17.0 (62.6) | 21.2 (70.2) | 19.2 (66.6) | 23.6 (74.5) | 24.8 (76.6) | 27.0 (80.6) | 28.0 (82.4) | 31.4 (88.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.8 (64.0) | 17.5 (63.5) | 16.2 (61.2) | 14.1 (57.4) | 11.9 (53.4) | 9.9 (49.8) | 9.5 (49.1) | 10.5 (50.9) | 11.8 (53.2) | 13.2 (55.8) | 14.8 (58.6) | 16.5 (61.7) | 13.6 (56.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 14.9 (58.8) | 14.6 (58.3) | 13.5 (56.3) | 11.6 (52.9) | 9.8 (49.6) | 7.9 (46.2) | 7.4 (45.3) | 8.2 (46.8) | 9.3 (48.7) | 10.7 (51.3) | 12.3 (54.1) | 13.9 (57.0) | 11.2 (52.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.5 (50.9) | 9.9 (49.8) | 9.3 (48.7) | 7.9 (46.2) | 7.2 (45.0) | 5.5 (41.9) | 4.9 (40.8) | 5.3 (41.5) | 5.5 (41.9) | 6.7 (44.1) | 8.2 (46.8) | 9.8 (49.6) | 7.6 (45.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 0.7 (33.3) | 3.0 (37.4) | 0.1 (32.2) | −1.2 (29.8) | −2.2 (28.0) | −3.6 (25.5) | −3.6 (25.5) | −2.7 (27.1) | −2.6 (27.3) | −1.0 (30.2) | 0.6 (33.1) | 0.0 (32.0) | −3.6 (25.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 211.6 (8.33) | 182.2 (7.17) | 237.0 (9.33) | 308.8 (12.16) | 424.3 (16.70) | 447.4 (17.61) | 367.6 (14.47) | 369.7 (14.56) | 312.9 (12.32) | 272.1 (10.71) | 240.1 (9.45) | 245.6 (9.67) | 3,619.3 (142.48) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 17 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 242 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 78 | 80 | 82 | 84 | 86 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 81 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 81 |
| Source: Dirección Meteorológica de Chile[13] | |||||||||||||
Nearby attractions include:
