On Saturday, a volcano in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain of south-central Chile erupted after lying dormant for more than 50 years. The government evacuated several thousand residents as Puyehue threw ash more than 6 miles (10 km) into the sky, pushing the plume toward neighboring Argentina. Authorities had already put the area around the volcano on alert after a flurry of earthquakes earlier on Saturday -- at one point, the tremors reached an average of 230 per hour. Collected here are a handful of spectacular photographs of the eruption this weekend and its effects in Chile and Argentina.
Chile's Puyehue Volcano Erupts
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Read moreAn aerial view shows ash and steam from an eruption in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain near Osorno city in south-central Chile, on June 5, 2011. Picture taken through a plane window. #
Reuters/Ivan Alvarado -
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Read moreThe sky over Lake Nahuel Huapi is darkened by ash from Chile's Puyehue volcano 100 miles (160 km) to the west, in the Argentine resort city of Bariloche, on June 4, 2011. #
Reuters/Chiwi Giambirtone -
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Read moreChunks of pumice from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain volcano are held by an Argentine border police officer at the Cardenal Samore border pass between Argentina and Chile, on June 5, 2011. #
Reuters/Gendarmeria -
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Read moreView of an ash-covered street from Chile's Puyehue volcano 100 miles (160 km) to the west, in the Argentine resort city of San Carlos de Bariloche, on June 4, 2011. #
Reuters/Trilce Reyes -