Nevados de Chillán, Volcanic complex in Ñuble Region, Chile

Nevados de Chillán is a stratovolcano group in the Andes of Ñuble Region, formed by three overlapping peaks: Cerro Blanco (Volcán Nevado) at 3,212 m in the northwest, Volcán Viejo (Volcán Chillán) at 3,089 m in the southeast, and Volcán Nuevo between them. It is split into the Cerro Blanco and Las Termas subcomplexes, the latter grouping Shangri-La, Nuevo, Arrau, Viejo, Chillán and Pata de Perro.

Sernageomin dates the complex's origin to about 650,000 years ago. Eruptions between 1861 and 1865 built the Santa Gertrudis cone, and activity from 1906 to 1948 produced Volcán Chillán Nuevo, which by the mid-1980s had grown taller than Volcán Viejo. Volcán Arrau formed between 1973 and 1986, Chudcún in 2005 and Sebastián in 2008.

The complex lies between the Diguillín and Punilla provinces, and nearby villages such as Las Trancas, Los Lleuques, Recinto, Carrizales and Coironal sit around its valleys. The Renegado river carries its meltwater into the Chillán river, while the Gato and Las Minas rivers feed the Ñuble. The ski centres Nevados de Chillán and Termas de Chillán and the Los Huemules del Niblinto and Ñuble national reserves are all close by.

The complex sits between the Diguillín and Punilla provinces, ringed by the villages of Las Trancas, Los Lleuques, Recinto, Carrizales and Coironal and the Shangri-La valley. Two ski centres, Nevados de Chillán and Termas de Chillán, operate on its slopes, and the Los Huemules del Niblinto and Ñuble national reserves border it. Sernageomin declared an orange alert on 5 April 2018 after a rise in earthquakes and volcanic activity, so check current alert status before heading up.

The complex's newest vents are named after people: Volcán Sebastián formed in 2008 and Volcán Nicanor appeared in early 2016, when Sernageomin declared a yellow alert after activity between 31 December 2015 and 8 January 2016. Ash pulses followed in February, May and August 2016, and an orange alert has been in force since 5 April 2018.