2011 the eruption of the Puyehue volcano in the Andes mountains of southern Chile caused ash (which is still there 2012) to cover the landscape and thousands of people were evacuated from the surrounding rural communities. The volcano, which hasn't been active since 1960 when it erupted after an earthquake, sent its plume of ash 6 miles high across Argentina and toward the Atlantic Ocean. INCREDIBLE PICTURES: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/06/volcano_erupts_in_chile.html