Article about project area: Landslide in Cerro Renca, Metropolitan Region, Chile

SERNAGEOMIN has progressed in the following four main projects involved in the collaborative work with MAP:GAC:

Aconcagua River Basin Project: SERNAGEOMIN continues the compilation of information, fieldwork and compilation of maps, and preparation of material for distribution.

Evaluation of Environmental Geology of Main Cities: Progress has been made in the compilation of information, fieldwork, and preparation of maps for some cities such as Concepción, Talca, Arica, Iquique and Coihaique.

Volcanic Risk Project: Geologic mapping for Lanin, Llaima and Copahue volcanoes is currently in progress by SERNAGEOMIN. Seismic monitoring data for the Lonquimay volcano are being received by the SERNAGEOMIN Southern Andes Volcanological Observatory (OVDAS) at Temuco.
Geology for land use planning of the Chilean IX and X Regions. SERNAGEOMIN has started the geological risk, vulnerability, and present day land use mapping for the Temuco Basin.

The Puerto Varas office of SERNAGEOMIN organised the International Symposium on Environmental Geology for Land Use Planning, in November 2002. This international meeting was the first of its type organised in Chile, with the active participation of more than 100 geoscientists working in Andean countries. The participation of a significant number of geologists from Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile was sponsored and supported by the MAP:GAC Project. During the meeting, more than 40 papers were presented and discussed, mainly relative to geological risk, hydrogeology, contamination, vulnerability, and industrial rocks and minerals. As part of the meeting, a short course on landslides and volcanic risks was organised by MAP:GAC. Dr. Hugo Moreno and Dr. José Antonio Naranjo, volcanologists from SERNAGEOMIN, taught the volcanic risk topic.