Photo Gallery: Chile Volcano Erupts

  • Columns of smoke and volcanic lightning are seen over the Puyehue volcano in Chile Sunday after a spectacular eruption a day earlier.
    View Slideshow 1 of 7
    Columns of smoke and volcanic lightning are seen over the Puyehue volcano in Chile Sunday after a spectacular eruption a day earlier.
    Francisco Negroni / AP
  • The volcano is located 500 miles south of Santiago, Chile, but ash has spread to neighboring Argentina.
    View Slideshow 2 of 7
    The volcano is located 500 miles south of Santiago, Chile, but ash has spread to neighboring Argentina.
    Francisco Negroni / AP
  • A cloud of ash from the volcano billows over Osorno in southern Chile on Sunday. The first eruption in half a century prompted the evacuations of thousands of people.
    View Slideshow 3 of 7
    A cloud of ash from the volcano billows over Osorno in southern Chile on Sunday. The first eruption in half a century prompted the evacuations of thousands of people.
    Claudio Santana / Getty
  • A boy on a bicycle pauses Monday to look at a plume of smoke and ash emerging from the volcano.
    View Slideshow 4 of 7
    A boy on a bicycle pauses Monday to look at a plume of smoke and ash emerging from the volcano.
    Carlos Succo / AP
  • Ash and lightning sparked by the eruption make for a dramatic display in the skies. The eruption has disrupted international air travel.
    View Slideshow 5 of 7
    Ash and lightning sparked by the eruption make for a dramatic display in the skies. The eruption has disrupted international air travel.
    Francisco Negroni / AP
  • Stranded passengers line up at an Aerolineas Argentinas desk on Tuesday, June 7. But Tuesday afternoon the airline said it had ceased all domestic and international flights until further notice.
    View Slideshow 6 of 7
    Stranded passengers line up at an Aerolineas Argentinas desk on Tuesday, June 7. But Tuesday afternoon the airline said it had ceased all domestic and international flights until further notice.
    Natacha Pisarenko / AP
  • A walk through Cardinal Samore Pass, the border between Chile and Argentina, required masks to protect against volcanic ash.
    View Slideshow 7 of 7
    A walk through Cardinal Samore Pass, the border between Chile and Argentina, required masks to protect against volcanic ash.
    Claudio Santana / Getty
Originally published on May 23, 2012 11:46 am

Photos of what's happening above the volcano range in southern Chile reflect Mother Nature at her showiest.