Residents of tranquil lakeside villages who typically contend with crowds of ski vacationers are instead coping with a thick blanket of ash that blew over parts of Argentina after a Chilean volcano erupted.

On June 18, the town of La Angostura was covered in the ash and the locals are resigning themselves to the fact that this may go on for quite a while.

Experts say Chilean volcanoes tend to spew more ash than European volcanoes like the one in Iceland because the magma is thicker and rises more slowly.

Geologists are on the lookout for any tell-tale signs that the volcano is slowing down, but for now, it seems to be erupting full steam ahead.

Chile's chain of about 2,000 volcanoes is the world's second largest after Indonesia. Some 50 to 60 are on record as having erupted, and 500 are potentially active.