Skiers and resort visitors at Nevados de Chillán in Chile's Ñuble region got an unplanned show on September 18, 2026, when the volcano sent a dense column of ash and pyroclastic material shooting nearly 400 meters into the sky. Chile's national geology and mining service, Sernageomin, said the eruptive pulse began around 2:10 p.m. local time at the Nicanor crater, producing a plume roughly 380 meters high before winds carried it south, away from the ski slopes and lodges where visitors captured the eruption on video from close range. The episode lasted around 45 to 50 minutes, according to Sernageomin's emergency unit chief, who noted the activity fell squarely within expected behavior for the volcano's current condition.

The eruption is consistent with the Yellow technical alert Sernageomin has kept in place for Nevados de Chillán since mid-June, a status tied to increased seismic activity linked to underground magma movement. Authorities said the pulse posed no direct risk to the public and did not change the one-kilometer safety perimeter already established around the active Nicanor crater, which spans the nearby communities of Pinto and Coihueco. No injuries, damage, or evacuations were reported, and officials said monitoring of the volcano continues around the clock in coordination with Chile's national disaster prevention and response system. Nevados de Chillán has a long history of eruptive activity dating back centuries, with its current active phase, centered on the Nicanor crater, running continuously since 2016.